


Can you find me someone to love?

by yoimwriting



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Accidental Kiss, Accountant Simon Lewis, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe-Hitch Movie, Artist Ragnor Fell, Asexual Raphael Santiago, Attempt at Humor, Bisexual Magnus Bane, CEO Raphael Santiago, Clalec BroTP - Freeform, Confident Alec Lightwood, Consultant Magnus Bane, Cursing is common in this house, F/M, First Dates, First Kiss, Gay Alec Lightwood, Gay crisis, Jace is an ass but Maia loves him, Jaia is the way to go, Jimon Friendship, Journalist Alec Lightwood, M/M, Magnus loves singing, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alec Lightwood, POV Magnus Bane, POV Ragnor Fell, POV Raphael Santiago, POV Simon Lewis, Ragnor Fell Lives, Raphael Santiago Speaks Spanish, Saia Friendship, Sassy Alec Lightwood, Second dates, Simon Lewis Speaks Spanish, Simon loves singing too, The music sets the mood, You will see it, because that's the only way that relationship should work, nothing is in first person don't worry, they are going through some stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-01-08 06:50:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 90,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12249171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yoimwriting/pseuds/yoimwriting
Summary: Magnus is a consultant with an "underground" job, who thinks he is doing well without someone special.Alec is a journalist and a workaholic at that, who doesn't seems to find love with anyone he meets.Simon is an accountant with a major crush, who is content with his life even when all he wants to do is sing.And Raphael is a CEO just trying to keep his succesful company like that.They all have one thing in common: they are all bad at love, even when some of them love to deny it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My third baby on this fandom, this time a multichapter fic, based off of Hitch, the movie (the one with Will Smith) but with my own twists :)
> 
> The tittle seems like this is going to be angsty but I promise you, it's not... At least, I hope it won't end that way.
> 
> I still don't know how long it's going to be but I already have ten chapters ready, so I shouldn't take too much time to update. However, I don't have a schedule and those ten chapters need some cleaning, so we'll see.
> 
> A big thank you to @WeWalkADifferentPath because she still can find time to help me out here with my story!
> 
> Also, let it be known that everyone knows and accepts their sexuality in this story. No one has doubts about that nor there is internalized homophobia. This is more of a pre-relationship kind of story
> 
> Enjoy!

Magnus Bane’s life was good, really good. He lived in a comfortable apartment in Brooklyn, a job that gave him the opportunity to have every luxury he could have ever wanted. Really, it’s a good life. Except, he didn’t have someone to share that life with. But he wasn’t complaining because, while he couldn’t have that romantic life for himself, he could help others to find it.

You see, his job was kind of unconventional. He liked to call himself a personal consultant. In what? Well, in love. Yes, in that department, because it’s so hard to find that special someone: that someone who can make you weak in the knees, that can make the world stop for a second, who can make you say “this is it. I made it. I found the one.”

And he was happy doing that because it gave him the opportunity to see others being happy.

The thing was, he wasn’t in that department just for the sake of it, but rather because he had learned the hard way that saying “I love you” first and giving your 110% to your relationship wasn’t always the right thing to do. College can make you learn your mistakes fast, and Magnus experienced that firsthand and that’s what happened to him. He hadn’t always been the suave, confident guy that could tell you how to get the attention of someone special. 

He still remembered those times. He had been a nerd, no way of sugar coating it. Glasses too big for him, always carrying books everywhere, an absolute lack of fashion sense. He was grateful that college was big enough to not be picked as target for bullies.

 It was one of those days, after leaving his classes for the day, that he met her. Camille. A beautiful woman, with long black hair, red lipstick, beautiful brown eyes and a tall beautiful body. She was interesting, funny. He could spend every minute with her and not get bored. She was everything to him in those days and she knew it. He always wondered how he managed to get this type of wonderful woman.

The tricky thing about that relationship was that it was his first official one, and in that naïveté, he thought she was the one because if you love to spend every second of your time with that someone, they must be special, right? And they must feel the same for you, right?  First mistake. Even if you think you can give everything to them, that doesn’t mean they will do the same for you. And that’s what happened.

They were a few weeks into the relationship and he was supposed to meet her at the college’s parking lot and then, they would go on their date. But unlucky for him he was running late because he had had to finish a project. It was raining that day but he didn’t care because he was going to meet her. So, when he arrived, he was surprised not to see her there. Camille had never cared that he was running late to any other date because she understood that college was time consuming and she always waited for him. With no exceptions.

But that day was the day when everything changed.

_He turned around to check if he could see her but with the rain pouring hard on him, it was difficult to see. He had texted her 15 minutes previously and he was still waiting for an answer._

_Maybe the service is down with this rain he thought._

_So he started walking to the parking lot, not minding the rain. She was the one who mattered in the end._

_After 10 minutes walking, he could see a car and, thinking it was hers, he walked to it. And indeed, it was hers. But when he looked through the window, he wished he hadn’t come at all._

_There, in the driver’s seat, was his girlfriend, the girl that meant the future for him. In the lap of some other guy and half-naked._

_He could take that moment and walk away silently but maybe if she could see him, she could change her mind and leave this guy. So, he knocked on the window, making them stop. She looked at him and instead of moving away from the guy, she just lowered the window._

_“Magnus, I thought you wouldn’t come” she said with a little hint of annoyance “I guess you shouldn’t have come. I’m a little busy.”_

_Magnus was shocked, to say the least but maybe this was one of those bumps in the road that they were going to overcome._

_“But what about our date? We’ve been planning this for days now” he said, hoping that she was going to rethink this whole thing with this guy._

_Instead, she just laughed. She looked at him again and with a mocking tone, she said “Really? Do you really think that I’m going to leave him for you? Grow up, Magnus. We were never serious.”_

_“But I– But I love you, Camille.” There, he said it. That could bring them back together._

_Camille just burst into laughter along with the other guy. Magnus stared at them not believing how his confession was a joke._

_“Dude” the guy said, trying to contain his laugh “She just doesn’t want you. Don’t make it worse”_

_And with that, Camille rolled up the window and they continued their ministrations like nothing had happened. Like she just hadn’t broken his heart in million pieces, like his confession was worth a laugh,_ _as if it were_ _just a joke. Like Magnus wasn’t worth her time and leaving him there under the rain was a consolation of sorts. And maybe it was, because that way, she wouldn’t see his tears._

_With what little dignity he still had, he turned around, promising himself that he wouldn’t make the same mistakes again. He wouldn’t fall for someone as hard as he had with her, he wouldn’t say “I love you” first, not until he knew for sure that the person was worth it and he wouldn’t let anyone make the same mistakes that he had._

And until now, he’d been successful at keeping his promises. Since that day, he had been helping both guys and girls to find the one. To teach them how to not make the same mistakes, how to be simple but not dull, how to be romantic without being cheesy, how to be interesting without being overwhelming. But above all, to avoid the L word until it was really certain.

After he graduated in business, he started helping those who really needed it, who didn’t have a clue how relationships worked and with time, he started gaining a solid clientele. He has seen multiple couples end up happy and for that, he was happy. His business was making that possible.

 

“ _Shinin’, shinin’, shinin’ ,shinin’ yeah.”_ Magnus sang while going to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee _“All this winning, I’ve been losing my mind…”_  

“Winning? You must be happy today” said a voice behind his back making him almost drop the cup. “Also, Beyoncè? It’s too early for that”

Magnus turned around to see one of his best friends, Ragnor Fell, leaning against the kitchen island with his arms crossed against his chest

“Yeah, well, I’m always winning. What can I say?” he turned around to really fill his cup this time “And also, leave Queen B out of this”

Ragnor snorted

“What are you doing here anyway?” he turned around again to look at his friend. He frowned “Scratch that. How are you here _inside?_ Who let you in?”

“You gave me a key. Remember?” Ragnor answered while showing said key.

Magnus just made a noncommittal sound. He may have forgotten about that “Anyway. What are you doing here?”

“Why? Can’t I just visit my dear old friend?” Ragnor said making the other raised an eyebrow in disbelief.  He rolled his eyes “Fine. I was bored.”

“Good to see that you find me worthy of your entertainment.” He said tone laced with sarcasm. He started moving to the living room. His senses were telling him that there was a serious conversation coming. With Ragnor, there was always that type of conversation. Knowing he was following him, he took a seat on the sofa, while Ragnor took a seat across from him in the love seat.

“Well, how is the business going? The real one, I mean”

Magnus chuckled because really, was there a difference? You see. His consultant job was more of a secret, so secret that the only way to contact him was through a little black card, which was given by another person who he’d already helped. It was under wraps. His other job, the one who paid for the nice apartment he lived in, was also being a consultant for different companies. Like telling them which benefits they could gain while working with another company or how much they could earn by buying different sort of things. It was really boring but it worked. In reality, what gave him fulfillment was his “underground job”.

“It’s going good. Both of them” he smirked making the other rolled his eyes. Again. Magnus sighed because he knew where this was going. He put his cup on the coffee table “Look, Ragnor. There’s nothing wrong in what I do. I help people. In both jobs. I don’t get why you are so worried about this.”

“Maybe because it’s dangerous? Because you should let this people find love by themselves? What happened if you get hurt by this?”

“How could I possibly get hurt? I’m not the one looking for love. We both know how that works for me” he tried to not sound hurt. Key word tried. Because it doesn’t matter how many years have passed, to know that your official relationship was a flop and that your partner laughed at you face because of your feelings, it’s hard to get over it. But he’s on his way.

“Someone is going to find all about this and they won’t like it” Ragnor warned.

He scoffed “Please. You know how this works. Everything is under control.”

Magnus was so sure about it. Because what could possibly go wrong?

 

§§

 

Everything was wrong.

That’s how Simon Lewis’ life worked.

Simon was a walking mess and he knew it. He was too clumsy, talked too much, he flaied his arms while talking and if the conversation was interesting and exciting, well, he could slap someone in his flying mess. He worked as accountant in a major company and he was content with his life. But if he were asked what he wanted to do with his life it would be to sing and sometimes he did it but to release stress and that’s it. But again, he was content.

Now, his problem was the CEO of the company. Well, calling it problem was a bit of a stretch because that would require for the CEO to know him and Simon wasn’t even a blip in his radar. But he wishes it were different. Good god, he so wishes it.

Because if he ever got Raphael Santiago’s attention, that could be the best thing that ever happened to him.

It was complicated to define his boss. He was blunt, he wasn’t afraid to tell the other ten accountants how useless they were and why he should be? He made that company from scraps and made it what it was now. A success. He was straight to the point, a no-nonsense attitude. He was too fucking serious all the time, to the point it was scary. But Simon loved that face. He always gave himself a pep talk for every meeting but to no avail; his momentary shyness got the best of him.

Currently, he was getting ready for another meeting for an important deal and usually, he didn’t say anything in those meetings, letting the older ones in the board do the work because they know better. If he ever got the courage to say something, it would probably be an embarrassing thing, so it was better not to risk it.

 He took his notebook and went straight to the meeting room, where all the members of the board were already sitting and waiting for Mr. Santiago to walk in.

How he got to be a member of the board with the seniors, well, he likes to think because he was smart enough for that.

He rapidly took a seat and seconds later, the man of the hour was walking through the door.

He arranged his notebook and pen to make it look more professional and took a deep breath.  
  
Everything was going to be fine.

 

§§

  
  
"Good morning, gentlemen" Raphael greeted taking a seat at the front of the table. That way, he could see everyone in attendance.  
  
He would always regret listening Ragnor's advice of giving this job to this old bunch. Why? Because each and every one treated him as he didn't know how to keep this company working. But he let it slide because from time to time, they gave useful advices for a better management of the company.  
  
The only one who never says a thing was the frightened boy who always seemed to be deep in thought or fidgeting. At first, he thought he was an intern for how young he looked but after talking to his assistant and HR, he found out the boy - Simon Lewis - was in fact part of the company personnel, an accountant. He always feels like a hypocrite at calling him "boy" when he, technically, was one too. But he was the boss, it didn’t count.  
  
"Let's begin, shall we?" he said opening his folder and taking out all of the papers related to this meeting "We have an upcoming deal with Lightwood Enterprises. A company that has many years in the business and I would really like to make this deal happen as soon as possible. How do the numbers look?" he asked glancing at Lewis who looked in deep thought. Again.   
  
"We should take more time to think this through, Mr. Santiago" one of the seniors, Frank Thompson said. Raphael turned to look at him.  
  
He raised an eyebrow and took a look again to his papers and then back to the man "And why is that, Mr. Thompson?"  
  
Mr. Thompson cleared his throat "It's common knowledge that they had legal problems concerning one of the deals they made. A major deal"  
  
He made a noncommittal sound "Are you suggesting that I didn't know that information?" he asked calmly, throwing that question to everyone in the room. He knew what he was doing, what everyone was doing. The fact that he was young didn’t help his case but dammit, he knew how the business worked. Why couldn’t they understand it? And acting like a petulant child would make it worse, so he stays there trying to drown his annoyance.

“What my partner here is trying to say, Mr. Santiago,” said another guy, Lee, “is that making relationships with a company with that background is bad for our image. Your image, specifically” he said making everyone nod in agreement.

“And we could lose important relationships that are significantly more important than Lightwood Enterprises” this one, Williams, said.

Immediately another one popped up saying “we should make a vote” making everyone nod.

 And then it was war, with different companies that could be a better choice than the Lightwoods; this company or that company would have more gain and success in the future; that they should invest in them. Raphael was fed up. Every time there was a meeting, this happened. Why he put up with this treatment was beyond him.

“Excuse me” said a voice in the midst of the commotion, making everyone look up, including Raphael, to see who had spoken. It was the boy. Simon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malec first meeting  
> Saphael private meeting.  
> Featuring Jaia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!  
> With 5k of Malec and Saphael greatness! 
> 
> Huge thanks to @WeWalkADifferentPath for bearing all my mistakes. Amy. you are an angel.
> 
> Enjoy, my guys

_What the fuck am I doing?!_

Everyone was looking at Simon expectantly. Well, the show must go on. He cleared his throat.

“If Mr. Santiago believes it’s suitable for the company, then we should make the deal and see what happens” he said, looking briefly at his boss and then to the others in the room “I mean he is the CEO after all. He knows what’s best for us.” He mentally high fived himself for saying that without stuttering or making a fool of himself.

In that moment, he heard a chuckle “Excuse this boy, Mr. Santiago. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about” Mr. Thompson said, looking at Mr. Santiago and then to Simon again “You should stay quiet, boy”

“Mr. Thompson, let the _boy_ ,” Mr. Santiago said, emphasizing in the word boy. “talk.”

Mr. Santiago then looked straight to Simon “Why I should make the deal,–” he looked down to his papers and then back up “Mr. Lewis?”

His heart didn’t skip a beat. He was _fine._

Simon cleared his throat. This was his moment to make an impression “Well, it is true that Lightwood Enterprises had a million dollars lawsuit but they got back on track and now they are one of the most important companies in the U.S and around the world. It could be good for us to have them”

He looked at Mr. Santiago to see his reaction. He was already looking. Simon gulped for good measure.

“That sounds reasonable” said Mr. Santiago.

“Mr. Santiago, please. You can be serious about considering what this boy is saying” Mr. Thompson argued, clearly annoyed about the whole thing “In fact, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t know what he’s talking about”.

“He’s just an accountant” said Mr. Anderson, one of the members of the board of directors, almost as if he was spitting the word. “He doesn’t know what consequences could exist with a deal like this” he added, looking coldly at Simon.

Simon gulped hard and dry. He wanted to make an impression but from the looks of it, he was going to get fired.

“He looks sure to me and he knows what he’s talking about.” Mr. Santiago insisted, looking hard and long at Mr. Anderson

If Simon could bet anything, Mr. Santiago was starting to lose his calm temper with this.

“With all due respect, sir” Mr. Carter intervened, also one of the board directors “Mr. Lewis is new in the company. Clearly, he doesn’t know what damages this deal could make for us and the legal repercussions this could cause. Not to mention the money we could lose‒” he stopped abruptly the moment Mr. Santiago raised a hand.

“Mr. Carter, I know what we are facing here. Now,” he stopped for a moment, arranged his folder and continued “I already spoke with Maryse and Robert Lightwood and they are willing to make this deal. I told them to wait for my answer and it’s going to be yes” he said, causing a commotion with the members; Mr. Santiago immediately stopped it with another raise of his hand “I appreciate all your concerns but this is good for the company and I won’t back out from my decision. We are sealing this deal and my decision is final”

Many of the members wanted to argue but they knew deep down this was good for everyone. Simon knew it too.

“Now, Mr. Lewis” Mr. Santiago said, making Simon perk up at the mention of his name “Meet me at my office.” He rose, took his folder and then he was out the room, without waiting for an answer.

Simon took a deep breath. His crush wanted to see him in his office. Probably to fire him for meddling in an important meeting like this. Well, if he had been nervous, now he was shitting himself. Also, he knew every member of the meeting was shooting daggers at him but he could deal with that. After all, this could be his last day.

He took the elevator to the last floor of the building where Mr. Santiago’s office was. The doors opened and with a deep breath, he strode to the office at the end of the hall.

After waiting for the permission to enter, he opened the door to see Mr. Santiago looking as dashing as ever behind his desk, letting the light from floor to ceiling window behind him, shine upon him.  
  
Simon was in awe. It didn’t even matter that he had never said a word to the guy; he wanted to be with him. As cheesy and corny as that may sound, it was the truth. Looking at the big office with the comfortable sofa at one side of the office and the mini bar at the back of it, he realized that this was the first time that he had ever been there.  
  
Usually, when one of the employees was called to the CEO's office, it didn’t bring good news. So, as far as this day was going, this could be the first and last time that he would look at this amazing space.  
  
"Come, have a seat" Mr. Santiago said, cutting off that thread of thought "Should I call you Simon or Mr. Lewis? It's kind of odd for me to talk to someone young. Especially in this kind of business"  
  
_You_ _can call me whatever you want. Call me boyfriend if that sounds good_.  
  
He was corny, he knew it, but his crush was asking him what to call him. It was inevitable.  
  
Being awkward your whole life makes you a sort of an expert when there are uncomfortable circumstances. So, it was a novelty to see that he wasn’t the only one in this case. His boss was nervous; of course, for anybody Mr. Santiago looked fine, as usual as always, with his no-nonsense attitude and his poker face. But Simon could look between the cracks and the funny thing was that he should be the one being nervous, not his boss. That’s not to say he wasn’t as well; that’s a given.  
  
"Simon is fine. Thank you" he said, continuing to high five himself mentally because there was no stuttering in his voice. If at the end of the day he was fired, he was still winning.  
  
Mr. Santiago intertwined his fingers and looked directly at Simon. In that moment, his boss took a breath, it was subtle but again, Simon knew what it was like to be in his usual position. "I wanted to talk to you about what happened there."  
  
"No need" he said, making Mr. Santiago raise an eyebrow "I mean, I know what happened there. I was out of line. Like, yes. I'm a boy. Should know better. I-I-maybe I don't know how companies do their thing, you know?" he said with a nervous smile "Which is why I know I'm fucked– Oh shit!. I mean, I'm sorry!" he was freaking out at this point. What was worse that cursing and being a verbal mess in front of your boss?  
  
Mr. Santiago, honest to god, chuckled. Like his verbal mess was some kind of joke, which if you put it into perspective, it was.  
  
"You are not fucked, as you say" he replied, standing up.   
  
The special thing about Mr. Santiago was that while he could make you terrified for life, he would always look good with those suits that fit him so well.  
  
"In fact" he said, bringing Simon's attention back to the conversation "I would like to thank you. As I said there, I thank everyone for their input and whatnot but they don't see the bigger picture here." He shook his head a little.

Mr. Santiago stood up and walked to the mini bar, took a jar with water in it and poured it in a glass. Simon took the opportunity to really look at his boss. He concluded that tailored suits were the best option for him; Simon never noticed before but there, at the base of his hairline, he could see curly hair.

_Has he always been shorter than me?_

Mr. Santiago turned around and came back to the desk but closer to Simon and added "That's why I would like you to be a bigger part in this. See how much we are going to earn and, if it turns out to be the case, how much we are going to lose"  
  
He opened his mouth to close it again, to try again but with no avail. No sound was coming out. He tried again "Mr. Santiago, sir. I...Well, I-I'm... What?" he spluttered, coughed a little and tried to search for a better way to express his amazement because seriously? Him? To be part of something so big like this? Not realistic "That's way over my head, sir. I think you should find someone who is more qualified for that kind of stress. I mean, that kind of job. Not that I'm grateful but you see I'm... This is like– This is big, you know? I'm–" he stopped abruptly to see his boss looking at him with surprise and a raised eyebrow. He grimaced because here he was, doing verbal vomit in front of his boss "Am I talking too much?"  
  
"No, just a little more than the conventional answer." He smiled a little "But really, I would really like you to be a part of this, with me. At least, think about it."  
  
Simon nodded, smiled and flew out of there because if he stayed any longer in front of his boss, he was sure to say yes to anything the man asked him.  
  
_With me_.

How could he say no to that?

 

§§

  
"Come on, Alec! Please!"  
  
Alec rolled his eyes for the tenth time that day. How much could a girl be that annoying?  
  
"Clary, I'm not a sponsor. Do I look like I'm going to find a boyfriend for you?" he asked while trying to finish the column for the newspaper that day.  
  
Clary Fray had been pestering him all day to go with her to some bar to find someone. He didn’t have time for that. Being a journalist didn’t have free days, at least not for him.  
  
He could be a CEO in his parent's company but that wasn’t for him; he loved New York too much to leave it and go and work in Seattle or another city that his parents wanted him to work in. So, no. He went to college, he did his four years of studying and now, here he was in the New York Post doing articles for the business column and sometimes, if the news was good, he could do the gossip one. He had a weakness for drama. That was the truth.  
  
Clary had been his best friend since he had started working, and while sometimes she could be a pain in his ass, he loved her. She was a sister to him  
  
"But you don't have to do anything. You just simply have to stay there, look pretty and tell me if the guy is an asshole or not. Pretty please, Alec" She did "the move". Her puppy dog eyes never failed her to get what she wanted but he was immune to that one.  
  
"First of all, I don't need to _stay there_ to be pretty"  
  
"Don't sass me, Lightwood"  
  
"Second" he continued, ignoring her input "I don't know how to find someone for you. I can't even find someone for me."  
  
"That's because you are a workaholic and you always say _I don't have time for mundane things like that._ " Clary said dropping her voice lower just like Alec's and to piss him off.  
  
He stared at her because yeah, he always said that "You know, just for that, I won't help you." Who said acting like a petulant child doesn’t work wonders?   
  
"Alec, please" she begged, sitting beside him and dropping her mockery "You know I'm a disaster in dating and I know you have better luck in that department–" he snorted, causing her to give him a slap in his bicep "I'm serious! Help me out here."  
  
"Ok, fine. Fine. But you owe me, Fray. Big time!" he said, pointing a finger at her.  
  
"Whatever you want. Now, I'll leave to buy something for tonight" she said with a big smile. Immediately, she dropped it to look at him seriously "I'm counting on you, Lightwood. I want you at Bar Sixtyfive at 7 sharp. And wear something nice!" she said over her shoulder while walking out of his office.  
  
"I know how to wear nice clothes!" he yelled after her.   
  
Honestly, he knew now how to dress. He'd come a long way for that. College was the time for him to snap out of it. His time in high school was a hard one; the shy guy with long legs and a black hoodie every day, still in the closet. He was sick of that. The moment he stepped foot in college, everything changed for the best. He’d decided to start gym and gained muscle, he left his shy attitude behind and he’d started to accept his sexuality and be happy; he was unapologetic about it and that wouldn't change anytime soon.  
  
College had been the time of his life; there he had had his first official relationship, his first time, his first kiss, his first of many drunken nights and he was still getting good grades in every subject. He’d had a blast.    
  
He’d had his fooling around phase and several one nights stands, and while he hadn’t regretted any of those, he supposed it was time to settle down but there was no rush. He was happy being single. Maybe not happy- content was more accurate.  
  
Deep inside, he wanted to go out. Dress nice, drink a fruity cocktail, flirt with someone and if things went well, take it further.   
  
Maybe that night he could have his fruity cocktail.

Then he looked at his desk and his workload and sighed in resignation. That cocktail was needed.

 

§§

  
"Jace, I'm telling you. He is way out of my league but I just like him. Irrational, I know but man, I want to be with him" Simon said, taking a sip of his drink and then he realized something and gasped "Jace, Jace, _ohmygod_ , what if he is doing this because he takes pity on me? Like, I don't know, because I'm young and–"  
  
"Simon, you are rambling. I can't take it. Please, stop" Jace interrupted him with a raised hand and an exasperated face.  
  
Simon blushed. He knew he talked too much but it was never like this. First to his boss, then to his mother when he told her about the deal and now Jace. This was some kind of a new record for him.  
  
"What are we talking about?"   
  
Simon turned his head around to see Maia, Jace's girlfriend. Beautiful woman and too smart to be with the blond one. She took a seat beside Jace and kissed his cheek.  
  
"This place is fancy" she gushed while looking around. “And beautiful.   
  
The fancy place was called Bar SixtyFive and it was fancy. It had a dress code and it was one of those places that if you didn’t have a job that paid well, you wouldn’t be able to pay for a drink. But it was so worth it. The place was beautiful. Floor to ceiling windows that let you see the night life of New York. The place was huge and every penny was worth it.  
  
Although Simon himself wouldn't be there because he was more of the casual type, he had wanted to make an exception, he wanted to do something nice for Jace and Maia. It had been a long time since seeing them and paying for their drinks and having a good time were things he could afford  
  
"Simon is paying" Jace said, grinning at her earning a slap at his bicep.  
  
"Don't take advantage of him" she admonished him while rolling her eyes. She then turned to Simon "Now, what is it? Why are you rambling? Must be something important"  
  
"It is important! Thank you for your understanding, Maia. Unlike some ungrateful friends" he said glaring at Jace and making him roll his eyes this time. He looked at Maia again and explained everything that had happened to him that morning "And I'm so head over heels for him, it's ridiculous"  
  
"It is. You don't know anything about this guy. He's your boss. That's it"  
  
"Don't be mean, Jace." Maia glared at him.  
  
"I'm not mean. I'm being realistic here. You can't be falling in love with this guy if you don't know anything."  
  
"That's why I'm here. For you guys to help me out–"  
  
"I thought it was because you missed us and wanted to be a good friend." Jace interrupted.  
  
"-And give me tips as to how be charming without being annoying" and Simon ignored him.  
  
"What about if, I don't know, you are just you?" Maia let free all her sarcasm in that question.  
  
Both snorted and Maia glared at them.  
  
"That's the last thing I want to do. I just went full-on verbal vomit this morning. I 

won't let that happen again" he said, taking his drink to his mouth.  
  
Jace and Maia shared a look and nodded to each other. Simon was at a loss for this. They had this weird thing where they understood each other through looks and gestures. They were that committed and Simon, well, Simon wanted that. Really wanted that and if that happened to be with a certain serious but dashing CEO, it would make it all the better.  
  
"Remember when I told you that I needed help to date her?"  
  
"It's not like you stopped needing help" she muttered, to then drink her cocktail, leaving Jace open mouthed and Simon laughing.  
  
"Yeah, well. Not the point. Anyway. I did look for help and I found this guy" he said while taking something out from his wallet "His name is Magnus Bane." He gave it to Simon.  
  
That thing was a little black card with two letters in white that read MB and on the back were a series of numbers, also in white.

_Mafia much?_  
  
"What is this?" he asked, raising the hand that held the card.  
  
"That, my friend is your salvation and the solution to your crush" Jace answered but Simon still looked confused. Jace sighed "As I said, he helped me so I could date her. He gave me suggestions, tips. From time to time, he gave me warnings."  
  
Simon raised an eyebrow and looked at Maia "Did you know this? Are you aware that you are only dating him because some other guy told him what to do?"  
  
Maia shrugged in response "Do you really think that his fuckboy attitude was going to help him?" she queried, making Jace say "hey!" to her but she ignored him and kept looking at Simon.  
  
Simon, instead, smirked because that was true. In fact, he had been surprised that Maia had said yes after so many times Jace asked her out. He remembered how Jace had felt defeated because he’d liked Maia so much and was desperate because he hadn’t known what to do. So, Jace had looked for other ways; next thing Simon knew, they were dating.

Now, it sounded fake because a man who works as a love consultant, love guru, whatever, helping out people who don’t know how to be charming or romantic? Not realistic.

“So, yeah. He looked for help. He charmed his way in” she continued, bringing Simon back from his thoughts “And it worked.”

She looked at Jace and smiled at him, bright and bashful and Jace gave her a little smile and kissed her cheek.

“Not my proudest moment but I don’t regret it” he said, still looking a Maia with heart eyes. He turned to look at Simon “Call him. He can tell you exactly what you need to say and do or drop out your nerd persona. Whatever works.” He grinned cockily.

Simon heard the slap that was aimed at Jace but he didn’t pay any attention, busy looking at the card.

_Am I really this desperate?_ He asked inwardly. He had been in that company for 5 years and 4 of those has been crushing on his boss with no attempts to get his attention, and with the excuse that there was no good reason to approach him. Now, things were different and he could spend time with him and charm his way. If Maia and Jace were happy even when she knew about the love guru, he could do it too, right? Right.

His decision was made.

 §§

 

Alec changed his mind.

Bar SixtyFive was a beautiful place and in other circumstances, he would be excited to be there and drink more cocktails but he was tired. He just wanted to go home and leave Clary to solve her romantic problems all by herself but he was a good friend, he couldn’t do that no matter how badly he wanted it.

“Hey, beautiful”

Alec looked up to see a black haired boy with light brown eyes, dressed nicely. The guy was cute but Alec was so not in the mood. His bed was the only thing he wanted beneath him right now.

“Would you like some company?” the guy asked, putting down a martini near Alec’s hands “I’m sure I could be good for that.” Alec assumed the guy smirked seductively but it wasn’t working.

“Thank you but I’m already waiting for someone”

“Well, I can help you out with that.” The guy smirked again and took a seat in front of Alec “What’s your name, handsome? I’m sure it would sound good with my name. I’m Kyle. ”

Alec tried to smile, he really did, but he knew that it came out like a grimace. Still, he tried to be kind.

“Listen, Kyle. I understand the courage to come up here and try to generate a relationship out of thin air, so don’t take this personally–“

“You have fantastic eyes” Kyle blurted, staring at Alec dumbly.

“Thanks. Try to listen” he answered with a smile but he was annoyed at this point “This is not a reflection on you. I’m just not interested but thank you for the compliment of coming here.”

Kyle didn’t say a word for a few seconds and Alec was sure that the guy got the message.

“So you like Indian food?”

Alec wasn’t so lucky “Kyle, listen. That wasn’t so you could try harder. I’m really not interested”

“Are you always like this? Shutting down men? Afraid that they can make you–“

“Feel whole, complete and loved?” said another voice out of nowhere, putting a hand in one of Kyle’s shoulders. Kyle looked up and the new guy looked at him and then at Alec “There you are, love. Sorry for being late. Traffic was awful.”

Alec looked up to see the most handsome guy he’d ever seen. He was Asian with beautiful brown eyes, spiked hair with white streaks on the side, and broad shoulders, clad in a black button-up with long sleeves that brought attention to his biceps, a dark gray waistcoat that accentuated his slim waist, and slim black suit trousers that did wonders to his thighs. He could see dark blue painted nails with several rings on a few fingers in the hand that was holding the glass.

Alec gave the guy a once over taking in everything that was on display. He couldn’t decide what was more attractive, his beautiful face and perfect eyes, or his gentle smile, or the breathtaking body. The guy was gorgeous but he could be the same as Kyle.

“How was the meeting?” the new guy asked.

Alec made a noncommittal sound “Same old. Boring stuff. Too many people talking.”

“I’m sorry. Who are you?” Kyle asked.

The god-like guy turned to look at Kyle “I’m the boyfriend of the guy you are trying to take home. I think you should leave.”

Kyle didn’t even think twice. He just took what was left of his dignity and flew out of there. The new guy made an _hmmh_ sound and took the now vacant seat. He smiled again at Alec while he, for his part, was trying not to smile as well.

“Now, it is very hard for a man to speak to someone who looks like you but on the other hand, should that be your problem?”

Alec shrugged and raised his hands letting the guy know that he really didn’t care “Life is kind of hard all around”

“Not if you pay attention” he answered, taking the martini Kyle brought and putting it on a tray from a waiter passing by “You sent all the right signals. No ring, casual clothes, your hair is pulled back, you are drinking a cocktail, a fruity and sugary one which means you feel exhausted and are just trying to stay awake and a beer wasn’t good enough, and if that wasn’t clear enough, you have a fuck off stamped on your forehead” he enumerated, making Alec laugh with the last statement “Because who’s going to believe that there’s a man out there that could sit down beside another one he doesn’t know and genuinely be interested in who he is and what he does without his own agenda” he finished with a condescending tone.

“I wouldn’t even know that would look like” Alec took a second to gather his thoughts “So what would a guy like that say?”

The guy moved closer “Well, he’d say that my name is Magnus Bane and I’m a consultant, but you wouldn’t be interested in that because you would probably just be counting the seconds until he left.” The guy said while Alec was nodding because that was the truth.

“Thinking he was like every other guy.” Alec finished.

“Which life experiences taught you is a virtual certainty. Then he’d asked your name and what you did for a living and you might blow him off or you might say…”

Now Alec could really blow off this guy –Magnus- because he could really be like any other guy that has been trying to be with him without success. He was tired of starting something just to realize it was just any other hook up. Neither of them were material for a solid relationship.

He stayed silent for a second.

Maybe Magnus could be different.

“I’m Alec Lightwood. I run the business and sometimes the gossip column at the NY Post” Alec then moved closer to Magnus. “And then this other guy would have all these penetrating questions about it because he was sincerely if atypically interested”

“No” Magnus answered with a frown.

Alec was a little surprised “No” he said, more like a statement than a question. He looked at Magnus expectantly.

“No, he’d be interested” at this Alec nodded knowingly. Magnus continued “But you would see that there was no way he could possibly make you realize that he was for real”

Alec moved his head from side to side considering “He could be funny and charming and refreshingly original”

Magnus shook his head and pursued his lips “Wouldn’t help.”

“Since I hate it when that happens?”

Magnus shook his head again “Not really. They both probably go on to lead the lives they were headed towards. My guess is that they’ll do just fine”

They both stayed silent, for Alec to gather his thoughts but before he could muster a word, Magnus was making a move to stand up

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Alec Lightwood” and he completely stood up to leave.

Alec watched him go, amused and little disappointed.

“Excuse me” someone said and he looked up to see a waitress “Blackberry Gin & Tonic from the gentleman that just left.”

Which was the same one he was just drinking. Could he say that he was a little bit charmed for this guy? Nobody would know. Just when he was trying to see if he could get a glimpse of Magnus, he saw Clary coming the same way Magnus had just left. He could see Clary was happy, excited even.

“Guess what?” she chirped, sitting in the same seat that Magnus was seated in before “I met someone.”

Alec arched a brow because the sole purpose of coming to this bar was to meet someone for her “So why you didn’t tell me before? I could be sleeping or something right now.”

"I was trying to be a good friend and let you be here to try getting to know someone" she pouted, her mood clearly receding.  
  
Alec sighed because that was his purpose all along but with him just being tired and as Magnus said, all men being a disappointment; his mood was dying just as Clary's was.   
  
But Magnus.  
  
There was something about the guy that really sent the signals that maybe, just maybe, he could be his one in a million.  
  
"Alec? Hey. Are you okay?"   
  
He was brought from his reverie – _brown eyes, bulging biceps_ – from his friend with a worried look. He smiled at her reassuringly "Sorry. Got distracted. So, who did you meet?" he asked, taking a drink of his fruity concoction.  
  
She smiled instantly "Let me tell you. I was looking for new underwear–"  
  
"I'm going to stop you right there" he said abruptly, raising a hand "I don't want to know what matches what and how it looks _there_ "  
  
Clary rolled her eyes so hard Alec was sure they weren't coming back "You are such a drama queen. What do you think we have down there? Gnomes?" she looked at him exasperatedly "Anyway, I was there and suddenly I saw this guy. Tall, with brown hair, dressed fancy. He came up to me and said that he's been looking at me from afar, that I'm pretty and he would really like to know me. We exchanged numbers"  
  
Alec raised a brow. Kinda sounded like a stalker, so he voiced his doubts. Why would a guy like that even be buying girls’ underwear?  
  
"I know what you mean and really it's odd that he was there but he said he was buying it for his aunt" she said almost pleadingly, like Alec needed more convincing.  
  
So Alec kept that brow raised but this time in incredulity because... For real? Her aunt? "Clary, you know that sounds fake. Nobody does that"  
  
He could witness how Clary's shoulders slumped a little. The thing was, Clary was as bad as him at relationships and while both of them could get a hook up just fine, they felt like getting into something more real was what they wanted.  
  
So maybe Clary could be a little desperate but he couldn’t blame her.

“Keeping it real then” she said, and took a deep breath. Her voice took a more serious note “I’m having a rough time looking for someone who really is a match for me but I know there’s someone for me. I know. And I know there’s someone for you too, Alec. We just have to keep looking.”

“I doubt it” he murmured.

“Hey, no. Don’t be like that. Maybe we have to find a love guru to tell us what the hell we are doing wrong”

He knew it was a joke but in those trying times everything was an option. Still, looking for someone to tell you what to do sounds like cheating because you weren’t truly yourself, instead you were following someone else’s advice and what’s the point of finally being with someone just because “the expert” told you what to do? It wasn’t honest.

He drank some more from his drink “Are you two going to meet?” he asked, bringing Clary’s attention to him.

“I guess we’ll see” she answered with a little smile on her face.

He guessed he would see too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me your thoughts!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A meeting occurs and a date is on

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to my amazing beta [Amy](http://wewalkadifferentpath.tumblr.com/). Your patience is a gift.
> 
> We are still in the phase where everyone is getting to know eachother. There is still more chapters to come when things change dramatically.
> 
> So, enjoy!

“ _I don’t wanna sing mad songs anymore. I only wanna hear love songs_ ” Magnus sang in sync while swinging his hips to the rhythm of the song in the background.

Magnus was in a good mood that morning, making freshly brewed coffee. Meeting Alec Lightwood was the highlight of last night. There were two words that could describe Alec: handsome and interesting. Magnus really wanted to make a connection but he was going to take it slow. Alec was someone that had to be approached by other means and besides, the fact that he was interesting didn’t erase the fact that he could be another Camille and mock his feelings.

Still, he wanted to try and see what could happen.

“ _’Cause your song’s got me feeling like I’m in love, I’m in love–_ ”

“Magnus stop your pop trash songs now!” he heard a voice yell from the hall. Magnus rolled his eyes.

“If you don’t like my “trashy songs,” go away!” he yelled back. Ragnor could dampen his mood very quickly.

“Why are you ruining the morning with that anyway?” Ragnor asked from the threshold of the kitchen.

“I counter that question with another one. Don’t you have a house?” he asked without looking at his friend.

“I find it refreshing to annoy your mornings, especially when you are this cheery” he replied, making Magnus roll his eyes. “Now, I know you. The only reason that you are listening to this kind of music is because something happened. I’m intrigued.” Ragnor went to the barstools in the kitchen island.

“You are not intrigued. You are bored” Magnus replied, turning around and sitting in front of his friend. “Which is always, I might add. But, since you are here, there’s nothing wrong with gossip” he took a sip from his coffee and looked at his friend “I met someone and I think he could be different.”

Ragnor rolled his eyes.

Magnus actually had lost count the number of times he had said she is different, there is no doubt, or he is different, I’m certain. It was ridiculous and Ragnor had been through all his rollercoaster of relationships. He should be disappointed in love by now and that Camille phase should be fuel enough to just be lonely but he still had hope to find, not the one, but at least someone and while he did that, he was helping other people to find them.

Somewhere along the way it had become ironic.

Ragnor knew that and at this point, he wasn’t surprised that he had come saying that he met someone and was probably waiting to see the thing crashing down.

“I know what you are thinking, Ragnor. I’m thinking that too” because the possibility to see his thing with Alec crashing down was there but he was still optimistic. Ragnor snorted and shook his head a little. “I have a feeling. I’m not saying he is the love of my life but he has something that I really like and maybe I could try something.”

Ragnor hummed in response. “Just be careful. We don’t want another Camille.”

“Amen to that.” Magnus replied, drinking the rest of his coffee and standing up to take the mug to the sink.

In that moment, Magnus’ business phone rang three times. He took a look and saw three messages from an unknown number, which more often than not where numbers from potential clients. The ones that were from companies were always calls. This client in particular was asking him to meet Magnus in Central Park and he would recognize him just by his clothes, and that was it.

A little cryptic but his clients were always shy, if not embarrassed, by the whole ordeal, so lack of description was a common thing for him.

“Well, love is calling my name.”

Ragnor just looked at him with a blank expression. He stood up and made his way out of the kitchen. “You are tacky and I hate you.” He said without looking back.

Magnus smiled. It was the start of a good day.

 

§§

  
Would Central Park be called a discreet place to meet? Well, it should be and since this was New York, nobody was going to mind his business, his business that was sitting in a bench across from him.

The good thing about his kind of job was the anonymity of it. Nobody knew him until he showed up and introduced himself, which he would do after his inspection.

Magnus had an MO. Get a scan about the guy or girl he was going to help, see what he could do and what he couldn’t by their body language. In this case, Simon Lewis... Well, he was a lost cause but Magnus wasn't called a love consultant for nothing. The guy was fidgety and nervous. Clumsy too, judging by the number of times he'd dropped his phone in the 5 minutes he'd been sitting there: three. His fashion sense could be better; that was always a bonus on any date. And–

Yep, the fourth time. Magnus sighed. Clumsy people were not easy but he would make it work. He stood up and made his way to Simon.

Upon closer inspection, Simon was cute. Nerdy cute. Hot mess. Because really, the guy was a mess. Wearing a flannel red shirt with a Spider-man shirt underneath, jeans and red converse.

_Everyone deserves love, Magnus. You promised yourself that_ he thought inwardly because he was ready to fly out of there.

"Excuse me" he said making Simon look up. Cute eyes. Check. "I'm assuming you are Simon Lewis."

Simon smirked a little "That obvious?" he asked, his eyes then widened. He stood up and started talking frantically "Oh shit! I'm sorry. I'm- Yeah, yeah. I'm Simon. Simon Lewis. You must be Magnus Bane. The love guru."  
"First, yes. I'm Magnus. Second, don't call me that. It's tacky" he replied with a grimace. He made a motion to sit down and waited until Simon did the same. "So tell me, why you need my services?"

"Because I'm a mess in the love department? I don't know how to flirt and charm my way in to this guy I'm crazy about."

Magnus hummed "Well, let's start easy. Tell me all about you."

"I'm your average boy. I like to think that I'm your boy-next-door kind of guy." Simon smiled again.

Magnus just arched a brow in amusement. At least, the guy was funny, he would give him that.

Simon cleared his throat and continued. "I work at Santiago Inc. as an accountant. I don't really like that job but the pay is good. My guilty pleasure, but not so guilty, is playing guitar and singing."

Magnus raised his eyebrows in surprise. From what he understood, applying at that company wasn’t easy. There were various exams to see if the person applying was qualified enough to enter and just when they were in the job, they would have a month to truly prove themself that they were really competent. It wasn’t easy to be there.

"Wait, how long have you been working there?" Magnus asked.

"Five years." Magnus widened his eyes in surprise but Simon didn’t look deterred by it; he continued talking. "It's good. At least I like my coworkers. Most of them." He muttered the last part.

How it was that this guy had been working at Santiago Inc., one of the most important companies in the business? And for five years? Simon Lewis must be more than he let show.

"So, your crush must be one of your coworkers, I imagine."

Simon looked at him and shook his head. "He's my boss. Raphael Santiago."

Magnus blinked once, twice and still couldn't believe it. Did he hear that right? _His crush is_..."Raphael Santiago. As in the CEO, the most important person in that company." Simon replied with a nod. Magnus stared at Simon with parted lips "You can't be serious."

"I'm deadly serious" he said, looking intently at Magnus "Look, I know it's a one in a million possibility–"

"That's an understatement" Magnus muttered.

"But I really like him. I wouldn't be here if that wasn't the case. And I'm too nerdy for him and too clumsy. I want to impress him. That's why I need your help."

Magnus stayed silent for a minute, really thinking it through. Of course he wanted to help him, Simon looked decent enough and he seemed honest in his feelings. And Magnus liked challenges and Simon was one.

"Okay. Yes. I'll help you." Simon smiled big and bright and, from the looks of it, Simon was ready to do a victory dance. Magnus sensed this and raise a hand to stop him "But you have to listen to me, okay? If you want to impress him and "charm your way in", as you say, follow my instructions.” Simon nodded eagerly. "Now, do you have a way to have direct contact with him?

"Actually, yes. I'm sort of like his right hand?" He said, more like a question than a statement, then nodded. "Yeah, like his right hand in this big deal the company has. He asked me himself if I could help him out."

Surprises kept coming his way. He didn’t know this Raphael Santiago although there had been many opportunities (mainly because of Ragnor), and while he was consulted by his company, he didn't talk to the CEO himself. But from the few amounts of times Ragnor had talked about the guy, Magnus knew he was young, intelligent, very serious and closed off to those who he didn’t deeply trust. He had a close circle of friends in and outside of work and from what Magnus could gather from this conversation with Simon, he may have a pass to that circle.

"Well, that makes things easier. Next time you meet him, find an opening to ask him out. Once you have his answer, I'll arrange everything for that first date" Magnus said and made a motion to stand up.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Simon tried to hold Magnus down but thought better of it and let his hands fall to his lap "That's it? What about my clothes, my way of talking? This fidgety-nervous tick! I can't go there like that. I’m too clumsy. What if he says no? Then what? I can't deal with being humiliated in front my boss! What if he fires me? What if‒"

"Simon!" Magnus said firmly, abruptly interrupting Simon's fears "You are panicking. Breathe. Deep breaths." He did the motions and Simon copied him, both of them breathing in an out, until Simon felt calm enough to breathe on his own "Now, if he says no, then you will have to get over him. Consent is sexy. If he doesn't want you, then you will have accept it."

He remained silent to see Simon's reaction. That was his only rule. What was the point of persuading someone if that someone didn’t want you? It wasn’t worth it, not to mention pathetic. Also if the guy or girl was an asshole, well, he had his reservations for that. If Simon couldn't understand that, Magnus had no business with him.

After he let that sink in, Simon nodded; slowly first but then surely.

"I know you must be nervous‒"

"I'm shitting myself" Simon blurted.

Magnus pressed his lips firmly together, trying not to laugh. "But you have to take a deep breath. Even though Raphael is your boss and an important person who could fire you ASAP‒“

“You are not helping” Simon rebuked‒

“He is still just another guy” ‒and Magnus ignored him. “Which means he may be looking for some love too, we just have to see if that someone can become you and if he is really attracted to guys. Is he?”

Simon remained silent. From the looks of it, Simon didn’t know about that bit of information. Magnus could sense the internal crisis coming from his client; he touched his arm lightly making the other look up. “Don’t stress over this. If he says yes, then we are one step away from a happy ending. If he says no, then don’t push it. But there is one thing you must have to make this work and that is confidence” he said, emphasizing in the last word. “There’s no way around it but don’t fuss over it. I’ll help you with that, okay?”

Simon nodded.

“Then, we have a deal, Simon” he concluded, giving the other one a smile, making Simon reply with one as well. He stood up “Now I must be going. Once you have an answer, whether it is a yes or no, call me.” Simon nodded.

With a final goodbye, Magnus turned around and made his way to leave Central Park. While he was planning for some outcome for Simon, he already had something for a gossip journalist with dark hair and beautiful eyes.

If Alec wanted someone original, he would gladly be that someone.

 

§§§

 

“Lightwood!”

A familiar voice yelled from the other side of the office. Alec didn’t even turn around, instead he just yelled back “Branwell!”  
He heard the heels clicking on the floor tiles until it stopped beside him. He felt the intense staring but he had more important business in front of him. While the business column was a good and serious one, the gossip column was his highlight. He liked drama, what could he say?

“You need to take a break.” Lydia said for the umpteenth time that week.

Alec rolled his eyes. He’d challenged Lydia to see how many times she could come up with the same thing until she tired herself out but she was a stubborn one. She was up for that and had made her ultimate goal to say that every day.

“It would do you good” she continued, “And I’m your boss. Listen to me for a change.”

The thing about their relationship was that it was anything but boss/employee. Both he and Lydia had gone to the same college and were friends instantly in sophomore year. Of course, after high school he had been ready to talk to everyone and that was what he did but Lydia had stuck with him through thin and thick. She had been his best friend in college, still was along with Clary. After they’d graduated, she landed the job as a columnist and with hard work, she’d scaled the ladder to be the editor in chief. She was everyone’s boss, and he was fine with that. That was her dream. Meanwhile, he had taken a much needed vacation for a year and then she’d offered him what was his job now, for which he was immensely grateful.

“I talked to Luke. He said the same. Get out” she said dryly.

Luke Garroway was his business editor and because in this newspaper nobody likes the gossip column, he took it upon himself to be the editor for that one. He loved his job too much, so much that sometimes Clary or Lydia had to come up to him and tell him to get out and eat.

“I told you before and I’ll tell you again: I have work to do” he said, pressing a key from the keyword with finality. He looked at his blonde friend “Let me be with my gossip and numbers. Is that too much to ask?”

"Listen, I know‒"

She started but before she could continue, someone else was calling Alec.

"Alec Lightwood?" It was a delivery guy.

Alec raised his hand to wave at the guy, who approached his desk with a little box. He signed the paper and the guy was on his way. Both Lydia and Alec looked at the box with curiosity.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Open it up." If his ears didn't deceive him, Lydia was excited, even eager to see what was in the box.

Well, he was too but Lydia could live without knowing that.

He grabbed the box and pulled it closer to him. Inside it was a walkie talkie. Black and yellow, and small.

"Took you long enough to open the box, darling. Over."

Alec looked startled at the walkie talkie. He knew that smooth and flirty voice. Magnus Bane. The charming and beautiful, and just right, guy from the bar.

"I could have opened it up in my house. You would still be waiting" Alec replied, after the surprise had washed away.

Lydia looked at him with more curiosity and with a raised eyebrow. She wouldn't say it but she was eager to know who the man was. Alec wasn't the only one to love gossip.

"I think you are worth the wait, darling. Over."

Alec looked at Lydia while she was still looking at him and in that moment he realized a number of his coworkers were looking at him expectantly. The bastards. Can't have a walkie talkie conversation without having everyone else snooping around.

"Are you still there, Alec? Would be embarrassing if you are not him." There was a hint of worry in Magnus' voice which was odd because the night they met he was the epitome of confidence, especially in his way of speaking.

"Yeah, yeah. It's me. Alec, I mean" he replied. Lydia smirked a little. He knew that it was weird for him to be that awkward, that phase was over and done. "So, you are old school? Could have asked for my number.”

Lydia was almost laughing at this point and at some moment, Luke arrived having heard the private conversation.

"Well, as I recalled you weren't that interested" Magnus said and after a moment he said: "Over" but Alec could heard the smile in that statement.

Alec smirked "Could have been wrong."

"Doubt it" he replied immediately. Magnus continued "Listen, I've been thinking about that sign on your forehead and I was wondering if you’d mind taking it down for dinner Friday night. Over.”  
He smiled bigger his time “I can’t. I have a couple of parties after work.” He looked up and Luke was raising a brow in curiosity.

“Gossip never sleeps” Magnus replied.

Alec could sense at this point that no one nearby was working. Everybody was just lowkey having a blast with this conversation and if he was being honest, so was he.

“Not until about 4:00 am.”

After a moment of silence, Magnus replied “Saturday.”

Alec looked up to both Lydia and Luke. Luke just shrugged having no clue as to what he had to say. Lydia shrugged too but she mouthed at him “ _a date?_ ”

That was a big fat lie… It could work “I have a date.” And he grimaced because that was supposed to come out as a plan, something definite, not a question.

“Do you know the definition of perseverance, Mr. Lightwood?” Magnus asked and Alec could swear that there was a cocky tone in that question but it was a big fat lie too if he said he didn’t like the sound of “ _Mr. Lightwood_ ” coming out of Magnus.

Still, Alec wasn’t going to make this easy for the man.

“An excuse to be obnoxious?” He could be flirty and mean. Of course he could.

“A continuing course of action without regard for discouragement, opposition or previous failure. Over”   
Alec stayed silent, thinking about the pros and cons of dating –would this even be classified as dating? – Magnus. Objectively and personally, the guy was fine and as he thought that night, Magnus could be worth it and not be like any other guy he had been with.

“Breakfast. Sunday” Magnus continued “And you can barely even call that a date. You do that with your out of town relatives that you don’t even like. Over”

Alec looked up again, searching for a second opinion. Luke shrugged again; Lydia nodded eagerly.

“Okay, I guess I can do Sunday.”

“We can if you manage to say over. Over” Magnus replied dryly.

He smirked again “This conversation is over as soon as you tell me when and where.”

“8:00 am. Prospect Park. And use sportswear. Over and up.”

“8:00 am? Hell no. I don’t do that” he waited for a reply but it was silent “Hello?”

“Care to explain, _Mr. Lightwood?_ ” Lydia asked.

Alec smiled mischievously “I know you want the scoop but you won’t have it.”

“Listen, Lightwood‒“

“Are you flirting while working?” Luke asked, abruptly cutting off Lydia’s response. He looked at her “Shouldn’t you be reprimanding him for this?”

“Yeah, shouldn’t you be doing your work and bossing me around?” Alec asked smugly.

Lydia narrowed his eyes and glared at him “Shut it. I could fire you.” Alec smiled proudly “Are you going to tell or what?”

He made a sign with his index finger and thumb as to mime zipping up his mouth “Can’t tell.” That earned him a glare from both his bosses. “Fine. A guy I met at a bar but it’s nothing serious.”

Lydia stayed silent for a minute but then one of the corners of her mouth quirked up “Right. Nothing” she said, more to convince Alec of that than her “I won’t keep you from your _nothing_.” And then she was on her way still with a little smile on the face.

“You believe me, right Luke?”

Luke stared at him and chuckled. He turned around to leave and while doing so, he said over his shoulder “right, _nothing_.”

”But it’s really nothing!” Alec yelled at him.

“Do your work, _Mr. Lightwood_!” Luke yelled back. Alec could still hear the smile in his response.

_Fuck it_. He knew it was nothing. A single date wouldn’t change anything. It could be a disaster and then, they would be on their way in their lives. Just as Magnus had said.

But even knowing that, there was a pressing thought that was making him both anxious and excited for that date.

_Please, be different._

 

 

§§§

 

After talking with Alec and arranging a date, Magnus was on his way to meet another possible client. This one was called Charles Baker. From the call, he couldn’t say anything certain about the man, just that he was desperate for his services and Magnus wasn’t someone who could deny that kind of help, except for his rules.

As he entered the fancy restaurant the guy told him about, he was already looking around to see the place and then he immediately spotted Charles. If he was going to give an initial opinion about him, he could say the guy looked like and ass and a fuckboy, dressed in a fancy suit. A scumbag, really, but he was a professional and until he could talk to the guy, he couldn’t reject him before that.

He approached the table and with a smile he said “Charles Baker. Sorry I’m late.” Magnus pulled out a hand to shake his and took a seat in front of Charles.

“Oh wow” Charles replied with a smile too and amazement in his eyes “You’re a beauty” and Magnus wasn’t one to reject a compliment, so he just nodded. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“No, no. I’m fine. Thank you” he said politely. “So tell me about her.”

Charles stayed silent for a second and then asked “Have you ever met someone and you know right away they are going to be important, not because of their looks, but you know, that X factor?”

For a miniscule moment, Alec’s smile crossed his mind but he wasn’t going to dwell on it. He was working, for Christ sake, not the time to be swooning for the hazel eyed man. He hummed in response “How’d you meet her?”

“Actually, I was in a shop buying underwear for my aunt.”

“And by that, of course, you mean you were buying lingerie for another woman.” He smirked a little, knowingly.

“Yes” Charles chuckled a little, embarrassment on his face for a moment “You can’t help when you meet somebody –and the lingerie is for a woman I’m no longer seeing also- But anyway,” Magnus raised his hand, dismissively “I met the one I was talking about. She’s so sweet, funny, with beautiful red-hair. She gave me a number, now she won’t return my phone calls.”

Magnus frowned at this point. Charles continued “I don’t know what it is about her. I just can’t get her out of my mind. You know, food has lost its taste, colors they seem dull and things that used to matter‒” he stopped for a second to fill his glass with champagne “I don’t know, they just no longer do. I think things aren’t going to snap back unless… Unless I bang her” he finished with a smug smile and drank his beverage.

Now, Magnus couldn’t believe he was here sitting in front of this guy. He knew his confusion and mild disgust were showing on his face. He let whatever the guy said sink in and now there was disbelief “Excuse me?”

“You know, bang her. Clear my head. Get in, get off, get out.” Charles drank again.

“I think you may have misunderstood what I do exactly.”

“No, I was told you help guys get in.”

Magnus chuckled because really, the nerve of this guy “Right. But see, here’s the thing. My clients actually like the person they are interested in.” Charles hummed in response with confusion plastered on his face “Yeah, hit it and quit it is not my thing.”

“Let me make one thing clear for you” Charles pulled a rectangular wallet and opened it up “I need professional help.”

“Well, that is for damn certain” he looked down to see Charles writing on a check without looking up at Magnus “And I’m glad you can admit it because generally that’s the hardest part.” He knew he was sounding condescending but he didn’t care. Magnus just wanted to get out.

He stood up and made his way to leave when he felt something tugging him and impeding him from leaving.

“See what I’m doing?” Charles asked while Magnus turned around “This is what I’m about. Power suit, power tie, power steering.”

Magnus looked at the hand still clasped on his wrist and looked at Charles again, this time letting his annoyance show on his face

“People can say no all they want but eventually,” he said, tugging at Magnus to pull him closer “They do what I want.”  
Magnus nodded in understanding “So that’s like a metaphor.”

Charles looked at him as he didn’t know what to say but then nodded and said “Oh yeah.”

“Right. Well, see I’m more of a literal kind of guy, so when I do this–“ he abruptly took the hand that was holding him with and turned it towards Charles’ back while making his upper body lay above the table while his face was looking to a side because of the pressure.

“This is more like me saying that I will literally break your shit off if you ever touch me again. Okay, pumpkin?” Magnus said with a condescending tone, above the guy.

He let Charles’ arm go and turned to leave the restaurant.

Magnus was sick of men and women thinking he would take any job just for the sake of the money, that just because it was a job, he would accept everything and didn’t have morals or rules.

He was sick of it and he prayed that Simon wasn’t like that because he couldn’t live with that disappointment in his life.  



	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A conversation between a CEO and a accountant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BACK!!  
> Things got in the way, honest. My beta had her stuff, still has them. I had my stuff going on, I still have them but I'm determined to see this story finished! SO I'M HERE
> 
> Anyway, thanks to my wonderful [beta](http://wewalkadifferentpath.tumblr.com/). My friend, this chapter is for you

Ties were objects sent from hell or else Simon was simply useless trying to come up with a decent knot. It was frustrating because after watching too many youtube tutorials, it should be easy by now. Hint: no, it wasn’t. It still looked awful but as much as he hated them, he was obligated to wear one.

Cons of working in a successful company: always wear a suit and tie. Pros: the handsome CEO.

 _“As long as I’ve got my suit and tie,”_ he sang under his breath while rearranging his tie _“Imma leave it all on the floor tonight. And you got fixed up to the nines”_ he pulled his suit jacket closer and buttoned it up on the front _“Let me show you a few things.”_

Even though the suit was a little bigger on him, he could admit that he looked good. So, if he fucked it up with his babbling mess, at least he could make an impression with his suit and tie.

He sometimes let himself think about what Jace had said and this case wasn’t an exception. He had been falling fast and hard and he didn’t know anything about Mr. Santiago. Should he even have a crush on the man? Just like that? He’d had his crushes in college but at least then he knew something about the person.

This was completely different. The thing was he didn’t know how to approach the man without making a mess; he wanted to make an impression but it was likely he would end up being blunt and in some cases that could work really well but in this case? He didn’t know.

But even with all those prospects he just wanted to try, wanted to see if there was a miniscule chance Mr. Santiago could see him as more than an employee. Get to the end of his 4 years of pining and his look-from-afar behavior, which it was creepy. He knew that.  
  
And today was the day. He was dressed with his best suit and his hair was decent, kept. It was an improvement from his usual hairstyle: bed hair.  
  
As he walked out of his office with determined steps and a little fear lurking in the back of his mind, he kept thinking that he was going to make the most of this meeting with his boss.  
  
If everything went well, he would have a date by the end of the day.  
  
He approached his boss' office door and knocked.  
  
"Come in." he heard from inside.  
  
He took a deep breath.  
  
This was it.  
  
He opened the door and walked through the threshold.   
  
Mr. Santiago looked up and with a ghost of a smile, he greeted him "Good morning, Simon."  
  
Simon almost chocked on his own saliva. How it was possible that with just a greeting he was already weak in the knees? How? He cleared his throat.  
  
"Good morning, Mr. Santiago" he muttered. That was supposed to come out louder. He closed the door.  
  
"Take a seat. I want to finish this deal as soon as possible" Mr. Santiago said while arranging his stack of papers.  
  
Simon took a seat in front of him at the other side of the desk. He took a deep breath again. At some point Mr. Santiago started talking about the pros and cons of dealing with the Lightwoods, that while the offer was a gift sent from heaven, the Lightwoods were a marriage sent from hell. Also, talked about the statistics and so on and Simon really wanted to be a professional, take the meeting as a serious thing because it could improve his position inside the company and he could be in good grace with his boss but _fuck_ he never knew that Mr. Santiago was even more handsome up close.  
  
His skin looked soft and smooth. There was a sudden need to _touch_ that, if he was being honest, that wasn't there before. But everything was changing now, it seemed. His eyes, dark orbs surrounded by long lashes. His hair, kept with a style that Simon would never dream of having himself, dark brown that did a spectacular contrast with his bronze skin.  
  
His boss' suit was custom made and why not? Probably the guy was swimming in the millions of dollars the company earned every day and still there wasn't a day where his boss showed off his millions. There was a humble vibe in him, which was an odd treat in this company.  
  
How could he, a walking mess and bad at love, have this awesome man to date him?   
  
Simon wanted to be brave and make himself proud, knowing that he really did it. Another deep breath and he looked at his boss. He had to be smooth, there was no other way‒  
  
"Will you go out with me?" he blurted.  
  
"-and close the deal" Mr. Santiago finished but Simon knew he heard him, his boss’s wide eyes could tell. "What?"  
  
Well, fuck.  
  
"I said," he said slowly, as to prepare himself for the rejection that the question could result in "Will you go out with me?"  
  
Mr. Santiago stared at him, with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. He just stared, without even moving.  
  
Maybe he fucked everything up  
  


  * §§



  
  
What the hell happened that he was talking about statistics and suddenly this guy was asking him to go out with him?  
  
Maybe he heard wrong.

“Excuse me?” Raphael asked.

Simon took a deep breath and asked again “Will you go out with me?”

Yeah, hearing it for the third time didn’t erase his surprise.

Raphael looked at his papers with all the details that he was going to discuss with Simon. It seemed like the issue was going to wait a little longer. He looked back up.

“Don’t you think that’s a little unprofessional?” he asked because well, it was. He, the boss, dating one of his employees.

Many would say that that is how romances start but Raphael was skeptical. People talked and the moment that everyone knew he was dating _someone_ the rumors would start and goodbye to his private life.

Simon sagged a little “That’s not a no” he muttered.

“Because, technically, it’s not a no but I’m trying to get you to see why we shouldn’t.”

Simon arched a brow. “Because you are my boss? Should that matter? I mean, it’s not like they could fire you.” And then his eyes widened “Is it because you are straight? Oh shit, I’m asking my straight boss out. Is that‒” he stopped the moment Raphael raised his hand.

Raphael shook his head. “I’m not but the fact remains. People would start wondering how their boss is suddenly dating one of his employees and how we met.”

All of the sudden, Simon’s demeanor changed to show someone more confident ‒ _where was that at the start of this conversation? ‒_ and laid back. He crossed his legs and looked intently at Raphael.

“So, what you are saying is that you would date me if it wasn’t for the fact that we are in different positions. As I said, I don’t think that’s an issue because nobody could tell you no, what they could do? Fire you? The board of directors are a bunch of old men and they know you have been doing an excellent job running this company; the millions of dollars you make are a proof of that. Which is why, improving your personal life shouldn’t be a concern to your business life.” he explained, ending with a proud smile.

Raphael stared at Simon, surprised because that was the first time he heard the guy talked without stuttering and that was improvement. When everything Simon said sank in, he chuckled a little and shook his head.

_Improving my personal life. That’s a new one._

Simon Lewis was something.

“Do you think you could be that _improvement_?” he asked with an arched brow “And how do you know I don’t have someone already improving my personal life?”

There, Simon’s confidence simmered down a little and he was sporting a faint blush.

 “Well, I‒ it’s common knowledge that you are single.”

Raphael raised an eyebrow again and smirked a little “Is it?”

Well, of course it was. There was no one. People had been asking him where his loved one was, where his girl was _._ His only _girl_ was his mother, waiting for him to show up with a boyfriend, a boyfriend that he couldn’t seemed to find for fear of rejection.

His sexuality was part of him now and there was nothing he could do to change that, not that he actually wanted to. Not anymore. The problem was that not everyone could grasp the idea that sex wasn’t in his priority list, it didn’t even make it to the top ten. So, what was the first reaction? The “don’t you trust me?” or the “don’t you want me?” For Raphael, any type of sex was about intimacy, so for him to ever potentially want it there must be a strong connection, an emotional one, which was so hard to get.

But again, nobody knew that besides his closer friends and it wasn’t like he was looking for a boyfriend; his job was too demanding to even think about forming a relationship with someone. So, he could be a little suspicious about the fact that Simon was asking him out, just like that. Was it for his money? Was it to know about private stuff about the company? Was it to know about why he had been single? His sexuality? Why so suddenly did this guy come up to him and ask him that?

“If I may ask, why you are so interested in me? So suddenly, I mean. What’s your main goal here?”

Simon’s eyes widened comically “My main goal?”

Raphael nodded “There must be something so you could wanted to date me just like that. What’s your aim?”

Simon tilted his head, considering his options, Raphael assumed.

“Well,” he started “my aim here is to date you and, if everything goes well, kiss you at the end of the night.”

Raphael was ready to give a speech about how inconsiderate Simon was to try to steal money from him, after five years of working for him and to threaten him a little bit that if he ever pulls a stunt like that, he would be facing a million dollar lawsuit that he wouldn’t see the end of. So, when he heard Simon’s answer, he just gaped at him, brain short-circuiting. Because _what?_

Raphael stared at Simon, trying to come up with something, anything but the guy just left him speechless. Simon Lewis didn’t have filter.

“I know that sounds a little straightforward” Simon added, a little sheepish “but that’s the truth and if I want you to trust me, well, I should be trustworthy from the get-go.”

Raphael nodded, still dumbfounded. But Simon was right, trust was something he appreciated, especially in the world he lived in where he didn’t know who was after his money and who was after him and really wanted to know him.

He remained silent, thinking through the pros and cons of dating Simon, one of his employees at that… But was it really important? Should he really give a piece of his mind for rumors? People would always talk, whether he stayed single or not. His company was a successful one and no one could say otherwise. As Simon said, the millions of dollars he made every day were proof of that.

As for his sexuality, Simon looked like a decent guy, who could understand what his sexuality entailed. Still, the risk was there but as Lily would say _you won’t know if you don’t go out there and meet someone._  

“Okay, well.” Raphael swallowed, he was nervous about the prospect of getting into the motions of meeting someone who could potentially be _that_ someone. “Let’s date then. Let’s give it a shot.”

Simon beamed “Really?” Raphael nodded. “Great. That’s great. I promise you, you won’t regret it.” He stood up, still smiling, and rushed out of the office with a little stumbling along the way.

Raphael shook his head, watching him go.

_I hope you are right, Simon, and keep your promise._

Without giving much of a thought, because he would surely be thinking about the whole ordeal that day, he looked back down to his papers and stared at them, resolutely at getting things done and trying to not think about bright smiles and soft eyes.

He failed.

Miserably.

 

  * §§



“My aim is to date you and kiss you? Are you for real, Simon?”

“I know” Simon drawled the word “I wasn’t thinking.”

Jace raised a brow “That’s an understatement. He could have fired you, you doofus. Did you think about that? Before you went there without a filter.”

Simon hadn't thought anything, he'd just talked and “went with the flow” but he never thought it could end well.

 “Jace, behave” that was Maia, blessed her soul, sitting beside the blonde doofus “Don’t give him a hard time.”

“Yes! Thank you! Listen to your intelligent girlfriend, Jace. Don’t give me a hard time.”

Jace rolled his eyes and Maia beamed.

“So, spill the beans. What happened?” Maia asked, taking a sip from her coffee.

They were currently in a café nearby Simon’s work, while he was on break. He called them to grab a coffee and here they were. Talking about the disastrous but not so disastrous asking out.

What happened? Well, it happened that he almost lost his job if it wasn’t for the fact that his boss could be a little interested in him. And even then, everything could have gone wrong.

“He just went to Raphael Santiago’s office and told him he wanted to sneak his mouth in him and do the dirty.” Jace said, as if he were talking about the weather.

Simon spluttered at him while Maia was trying and failing to hide an upcoming laugh.

“You know damn well I didn’t say that.”

“But that’s your _aim_ , isn’t it?”

It could be but first he wanted to know him well, what Raphael Santiago was outside a corporate surrounding without the stressful things he had to do every day.

“Boys, boys. Play nice” Maia said, trying to placate a useless fight with vehemence in her voice “What did he say, Simon?

 “He just said he would date me but we didn’t agree when that date will be.”

She hummed and took another sip.

“But do you have a plan? I mean, there must be something you have in mind” she asked, staring at him.

Simon grimaced because well, he was just expecting for Magnus to tell him everything because he just didn’t have a plan; he was clueless.

Maia sighed. “You can’t be that useless, Simon. This is a long time crush. You need to have something, I don’t know, like a backup plan.”

“He doesn’t need that, he already has Magnus” Jace intervened.

Maia looked at Jace “Did you really let Magnus do everything?”

“I was paying the guy to do that!” She arched a brow, looking at him intently. He sighed in defeat “I had backup plans. But‒” he turned and looked at Simon “I had faith in Magnus. I knew he was going to help me, which is what he is doing now with you.”

“I’m not saying he is bad at his job but you have to know too what you could do if Magnus is not there to help you” Maia said.

“Yeah, I know that but in the meantime, I’m putting all my trust in him until I can figure things out by myself.”

Maia nodded “I’m going for another cup. Think about some plans, okay?” Simon groaned and put his head between his hands “Humor me, would you?” and stood up, walking to the counter without waiting for a response.

Jace saw her go with a soft smile on his face. From Simon’s perspective, Jace was still whipped for Maia. A year later and they were still strong like the first day. Then, a sudden realization hit him.

“If you took Magnus’ classes, why can’t you help me?” he asked, bringing Jace back to the conversation.

“Because I’m not an expert, Simon. Even if I want to be. I’m bad at love but I’m still trying because of her. There are days that I just fuck everything up. Hard and fast. But she is still with me. I don’t know why but I’m grateful every day that she hasn’t kicked my ass and dumped me. I love her.” he said with reverence laced in his tone. He stayed silent for a moment and then continued: “Look, maybe this is unconventional but Magnus is your best shot here. He could help you, already is. Trust him”

He knew that. There’s no way he could have a chance with Mr. Santiago without a little nudge from someone else.

He would do everything in his power, and whatever powers Magnus had, to be the person Mr. Santiago deserved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY, OKAY! I know Raphael is written as someone who COULD have sex and the show it let know that he is not interested in that. BUT, in this story, he needs to form a deep connection with his partner to even think about it and even want it. SO, before someone wants to kill me because of this, keep in mind that.
> 
> BUT, sex won't happen in this story. Mainly because I have known that to write sex for Saphael is something delicate, some readers like it and some not. And also because I don't know how to write sex hehe!
> 
> But anyway. Let me know your thoughts.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A date goes wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are still in the "fluffy"part of the story. It's not like it's going to be angst later but it's not happy either, so there's that :D 
> 
> This story wouldn't be the same if it wasn't for my amazing [beta](http://wewalkadifferentpath.tumblr.com/) <3

 Prospect Park was big. That was the first thing that crossed Magnus’ mind once he took sight of the park. Beautiful and hot too, being September still the humidity and heat was still in the air. It was a blessing that at that time of the day it wasn’t on full force.

He mentally checked over all of the things he wanted to talk to Alec about, whether it was his past, about his career, his likes; get to know him. He wanted this date to go well because this one could set the path to a relationship or to a disaster and well, it wasn’t like he wanted marriage from the get-go but he wanted to spend a good time with Alec even if after this they would never see each other again.

He heard the sound of a clearing throat and Magnus turned around.

“Magnus”

It was Alec, in all his messy black-haired glory and his–

“Since when are you that tall?” he asked, confused because the night they’d met, he didn’t remember those long legs clad in black sweatpants.

_I would remember those thighs anywhere_ he thought, appreciating the man in front of him.

Alec looked at himself and then to Magnus “Since always?” He took a sip from the coffee Magnus didn’t see in the first place. “But I’m pretty sure we are not here to appreciate my legs, right Magnus?”

And then, Alec smirked. He caught Magnus staring at his legs. Embarrassed much? Yes, of course he was.

“Right” Magnus replied, clearing his throat and looking anywhere else. He could feel his cheeks warming up. That was a bad start but he still wanted to make it work.

“So, what are we doing here?” Alec asked, bringing his coffee to his mouth.

Magnus clapped his hands in order to get ready and forgot about that little embarrassing moment. “We are going on a run.”

“A run?” he asked in disbelief “Really? Are you trying to kill me?”

“Come on. It’ll be fun. Then we can have that breakfast that I’d told you about.”

 

§§

 

"I'm beat" Alec said, after he heaved loudly. "I'm can't. I'm dead." He used the bottom of his shirt to clean the sweat off of his forehead, making his hair messier.

The thing was, Alec’s pretty face was enough to keep him interested, along with his personality of course, but Magnus was a weak man and there was little he could do to avoid looking down to that sight Alec was subconsciously‒ _was he really doing it subconsciously?‒_ showing and there was an imminent question. How does a journalist keep a body like that when their agenda is full? Because a job like that keeps you occupied but that didn’t seem to prevent Alec from looking like _that._

There was a vast expanse of defined muscle, a happy trail that went from his navel and Magnus supposed, went down _down,_ a place he wouldn’t think of this moment and, well a lot of hair on his upper body but surprisingly, it looked good on his taller date.  
  
From that baggy t-shirt, he couldn't imagine there was _that_ body underneath. It was impressive.  
  
The guy was beautiful, handsome, hard to get and _very fine_ but still. It wasn't enough.  
  
"Come on, Alec. It wasn't that bad" Magnus said, bringing himself back to the conversation because staring was a creepy behavior and he wouldn’t go into that path.  
  
Alec raised a brow in disbelief, still with parted lips and heavy breathing. "We ran around the park, Magnus, and the park is huge." He took another breath "I think we ran enough.”  
  
Magnus smirked a little. It wasn't as though he'd planned to run around the entire park, but, well, he liked competition. And the moment that Alec had realized Magnus had had the upper hand, he'd started to put in more effort; what was supposed to be a friendly workout- to get to know each other- had quickly turned into a competition  
  
It turned out great. More than great. At least he knew Alec was the kind of man that put everything he had into whatever he does.  
  
"It's a shame that you can't stand a little bit of hard work." He could tease, of course he could and he would do it in every chance he got.  
  
Alec raised a brow, straightened his back and smirked a little. "I can assure you, Magnus. I can stand more than a little bit of hard work."  
  
He suppressed a surprised look. Alec was the whole package. But he had to keep his promise. He couldn’t fall hard and fast like with Camille and the ones that came after because he didn’t know for sure if Alec was like that. That thinking made his smile falter a little.   
  
He shook his head; Camille’s memory wouldn’t ruin his promising date.  
  
He cleared his throat "There's a cafe nearby. Let's get that breakfast I told you about, shall we?"  
  
"Do we have to walk?"  
  
Magnus laughed. "Well, of course. Let's keep the workout going."  
  
At this, Alec groaned, making Magnus laugh harder while they started walking.  
  
"So, Alec, tell me," Magnus said. Alec kept looking ahead but he nodded slightly letting Magnus know he was listening. "Is Alec short for something? Alechai, maybe?"  
  
Alec frowned but there was a faint smile on his lips. "That’s an awful name. I wouldn't have survived high school."  
  
"I think it's a great name" he said, making Alec looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Fine. Not that _great_ but anyway, my question still stands."  
  
"Yes, for Alexander. I'm so used to people calling me Alec that it's odd that someone calls me by my full name" Alec replied with a little shrug. "But it's not that I don't like it. It's my name, you know?"  
  
"Well, I think Alexander is a beautiful name" and lo and behold– There, in that smooth but sweaty face was a beautiful red color painting his cheeks. Alec was blushing; Magnus high-five himself mentally.  
  
It was a victory‒

"Why, thank you" Alec replied still a little bit flustered. "I think Magnus is an interesting name. I like interesting things, especially if it's a person"  
  
‒That just lasted seconds but it had been a victory nonetheless, before the tables had turned. In his defense, nobody had ever said that to him before so he could feel all flustered if he wanted to.  
  
Before they could continue their conversation, someone was yelling at them. They turned around to see an angry looking woman striding towards them.  
  
"You are a scumbag. A piece of shit!" she nearly yelled.  
  
"Excuse me, I think you are mistaken" Magnus said with both his hands raise to try and placate the furious woman.  
  
"Don't make me look like a crazy woman!" She was yelling at this point and Magnus didn't have any idea of how to stop her from making a scene.  
  
In the meantime, Alec was looking at them, at a loss for what to do. Magnus could relate.  
  
"Lady, I think you are confused." He tried to smile but there was no way the woman would calm herself.  
  
"I wouldn't forget someone who slept with me and then didn’t call me back."  
  
_What?_    
  
Magnus looked at Alec who looked at him too with a raised brow. He tried to communicate him that he didn't know what the woman was talking about.  
  
"Lady, I really think‒"  
  
But before he could continue, a slushie was thrown at him. Red and cold, running down his face and hair, and soaking his clothes. He dragged his hands across his eyes and face to try and clean the beverage but there was no salvaging this. He had no idea that that was the thing the woman had been carrying when she had come up to them.   
  
In his soaking state, he could see the woman walking away from them and the plastic cup and part of the slushie were at his feet.  
  
He looked at Alec who was frozen in his spot, with parted lips and a surprised look. A deer caught in the headlights look. Neither of them had been waiting for this turn of events. Who would? An angry woman throwing cold beverages at men wasn't the date Magnus was planning for.  
  
Alec raised both his hands slowly as if to give Magnus time to back out but he was as shocked as Alec. Couldn't move. He felt how Alec dragged his hands through Magnus' hair to get rid of the beverage, grimacing at the cold and sticky feeling.  
  
"I'm sorry for that" Magnus muttered, embarrassed, because that was the only thing he could feel at the moment.  
  
"What? No" Alec replied, still getting rid of the remnants of the liquid. "I mean, it happened. Shit happens." He raised a shoulder while finishing cleaning up Magnus' hair. He pulled them away to clean them with his sweatpants. "At least you are okay, right?”

Magnus nodded. "But I didn't even know her."  
  
"What?" he asked again but this time in disbelief "Are you telling me the crazy lady really mistook you for someone else?"  
  
At this, Magnus rolled his eyes, composing himself and trying to fix his hair without success. He sighed in frustration. "Yes. I was trying to tell you that but I guess my message got lost in translation."  
  
Alec nodded a little but other than that, he didn't say a word.  
  
"Besides, I'm not the kind of man who says "I'll call you" and then doesn't do it" he added. He had a few who’d done the same thing to him and it was just awful.  
  
"I wouldn't put you in that category either" Alec said softly, as if trying to make the situation less awkward than it was.  
  
But it was pointless. For Magnus, their date was ruined and the worst part was that it wasn't because of either of them. He suppressed a sigh.  
  
"We should call this off before something worse happens" he tried to joke but to no avail.   
  
Far from being angry, he was disappointed. He wanted this day to end well.  
  
"But we could still try to make the best of it, you know?" At least Alec was gaining points for being a sweetheart but the damage was done.  
  
"We could," Magnus agreed, nodding. "But I'm soaked, sticky, my clothes are a mess and well, I'm a mess." He looked up at Alec "I guess until next time" he added.  
  
Alec gave a little smile. "Yeah. Until next time."  
  
And then, Magnus turned around, walking away with his chin up because that slushie wouldn't ruin his pride even though his clothes were a mess and he looked like a wet dog with his hair plastered on his forehead.  
  
Magnus didn’t have any idea how that date, a date that he so meticulously planned out, ended up with him soaking wet.

He would try again, once he regrouped his will to try that is.

 

§§

  
  
Alec stood there in place, watching as Magnus left the park.  
  
He couldn't stop the disappointment that was crawling inside him. Alec really wanted the day to go well, even if the start of it was a little bit unconventional.  
  
But that was what he was looking for. Someone original and from the looks of it, Magnus was the one he was looking for.  
  
Alec sighed in discouragement. He hoped for another date.

 

§§

  
  
After the disastrous date, Magnus went straight to his apartment to clean off the mess that he was after the slushie-fest. Now it was the moment that anger made its way to replace disappointment because who the hell confuse their one night stand with another guy? The only scenario that he could come up with was that the woman had been hammered that night and even then, you really think it through before making a scene and throwing drinks at the wrong guy.   
  
So, here he was: in the shower, cleaning his despairs and disappointments along with the slushie, singing with no cares and with his music in the background.  
  
“ _…So I just wanna apologize. I'm sorry, so sorry. I'm sorry, yeah._ " He put shampoo in his hair and scrubbed until there was enough foam to cover his hair.  
  
“ _I need your love. And I'm dying for the rush. 'Cause my heart ain't got enough. I need your touch_ " He grabbed the bottle of shampoo and put it near his mouth as his makeshift mic " _This is getting serious. Tell me that it's not the end of us. How can we go back to the beginning? How can we go-_ -"  
  
"Why is that every time I come here you are listening to some depressing music? What's going on?" It was Ragnor, yelling outside of his bathroom, interrupting as always, his moments of singing.  
  
He rolled his eyes "If you don't like it, get out" he yelled back.  
  
"Once you finish there, we talk. I'm making tea" Ragnor said and Magnus could hear him walking away.  
  
He finished his shower, dried himself up, and pulled on boxers and a bathrobe. He then walked to the sink and looked in the mirror at his reflection.  
  
His hair was plastered on his forehead and his face was free of make up; they weren't raccoon eyes like when he’d come back.  
  
Magnus sighed again. Why was it so hard to find love for him when it was so easy for others? It should be easy by now. He had the answers, the ways, the charm but it seemed like none of that mattered because he still was very much single, trying to charm a guy that maybe he wasn’t for Magnus. He looked at his reflection one last time and left the bathroom.

He walked to the kitchen where Ragnor was already seated on the barstool with two mugs in front of him.  
  
"Tell me, what's bothering you that you are listening to depressing music?" Ragnor asked once Magnus was seated in front of him and making a move to grab the mug.  
  
"I had a date this morning." Magnus replied plainly.  
  
Ragnor hummed in response, prompting Magnus to continue.  
  
"And it was a disaster."  
  
Ragnor hummed again, taking a sip from his tea.  
  
"I don't know how to come back from that" Magnus continued with despair in his voice. "I should know, Ragnor. It's my job!"  
  
"You can't expect that from a single date, everything is going to be perfect."  
  
"But that is a rule! Everything that happens in the first date is going to define if that relationship works. It has a 99% probability that works. That's what I tell every client and it works." At this point Magnus was breathing heavily, directing an accusatory look towards Ragnor "You can't tell me now that I have to change my moves. Improvisation works in acting, not here."  
  
"Magnus, breathe. You are getting worked up and it's getting nowhere. Drink your tea" he said, making Magnus follow the instruction. "Now, what was the name of the lucky person?"  
  
"Alec. Alec Lightwood" Magnus muttered, drinking some more.  
  
Ragnor raised a brow. "Lighwood? As in the son of Robert and Maryse Lightwood? You know, Lightwood Enterprises?" There was a little surprise in his voice.  
  
Magnus cocked his head a little to give it a thought. "I don't know. The date was over before I could catch details from his life." Another sigh in despair.  
  
"Well, don't get yourself worked up. You could always get in touch with him again. Maybe he is part of that 1 probability that doesn't work" Ragnor commented nonchalantly.   
  
Magnus sighed again. "We'll see" he said, and drank his tea.

 

§§

  
  
Clary was beaming and with a mischievous glint her eyes. Alec knew that look: the girl was looking for some gossip and the only person to provide that need was currently sitting in front a monitor trying and failing to make the column for that day more interesting.  
  
"A little bird told me something" she said cheerfully, arriving at Alec's desk.  
  
Without looking at her, he said "Let me guess, that bird is our boss, currently waiting for the details too."  
  
"We work in a newspaper, Alec. No one has secrets." This time, he looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, it was Lydia. So," she smiled again, eager for some info, "a Magnus Bane asked you for a date. Is that true?"  
  
Alec nodded.  
  
"And then? Did you go? Did you kiss? How was it?" And then she gasped and looked more eager "Is he cute? Please, tell me he is to die for."  
  
Magnus Bane was in fact to die for. The guy went to their date with a sleeveless hoodie leaving a clear sight for Alec to see biceps. Magnus was _huge_ and how could he have guessed before that underneath the suit he’d worn the night they’d met, there was a well-defined body? That broad back should have been his clue. How he had survived? He didn’t know.  
  
"Then nothing. I went. We didn't kiss. It was a disaster. He is cute. And I'm keeping the details about him to myself" he said, typing, answering every question without so much detail. "How is your column looking so far?"  
  
That question earned him a slap on his arm and he hissed "Don't play dumb with me, Lightwood. You know I want the dirty details. Spill."  
  
He was ready to roll his eyes at her but he knew that that could earn him another hit, so he suppressed the need. "There's nothing dirty to tell."  
  
"And how was it a disaster?"  
  
He found himself smiling at the memory and it shouldn't make him laugh but well, Magnus looked like the kind of guy who lived through awkward experiences. He told her everything about the encounter making her gasp and widen her eyes in surprise.  
  
"It was awful. And very awkward" he then said, finishing the story.  
  
"But is he okay? Magnus, I mean" Clary asked with concern in her voice.  
  
"Yeah, I think he was shocked that something like that happened. I mean, I was worried too. He changed his demeanor so fast, I didn’t have a clue as to what I could do but I think he was so embarrassed, I agreed with him to cut short the date" he said and then added "I was having a good time."

“And how did you agree to go on a _run at 8 in the morning_?” Clary’s voice was skeptical

And with good reason. Alec Lightwood wasn’t a morning person and he needed his large cup of coffee, black with a lot of sugar in it to survive throughout the day.

“You know, I can be persuaded” he replied, raising a shoulder and acting innocently.

She chuckled. “Magnus Bane must be out of this world, then.”

“Honestly? I think that too.”

Clary hummed in response and after a few seconds in silence, she asked "Would you go out with him again?"  
  
Would he? He really liked the hours they’d had. Magnus' laugh and smile were still etched in Alec's mind.  Something so beautiful should be seen again and he would be out of his mind not to see him again, awkward encounters be damned.  
  
As a response, he raised a shoulder and smiled "We'll see."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me your thoughts, my fellas. Commets and kudos fuel me :D


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I'm an eager girl, I'm here with the next chapter, which is one of my favs tbh. Saphael in all their magnificent glory (or what I tried to be magnificent).  
> For those who are wondering, Malec will return in chapter 8, so don't fret.
> 
> Thanks to the best [beta](http://wewalkadifferentpath.tumblr.com/) for making this story even better.

“This was on Friday? Simon, you were supposed to tell me when he said yes! The same day, not three days after!” Magnus wouldn’t say he was mad but well, he was expecting a little more commitment from Simon, seeing as he was so infatuated with Raphael.

“I’m sorry!” Simon moaned, dragging the word out. “I know but I thought that it was weekend and maybe you were busy and I didn’t want to bother you with this, and maybe I should have made, you know, a date with him but I thought he would have a busy weekend, just like you would have. Perhaps.”

Magnus raised a brow and crossed his arms. “Simon, let me be clear about this. You are paying _me_ to help _you._ That means I will help you any day, any hour. Do you know how many people have called me at ungodly hours because they were having a midnight crisis because of their crushes?” he asked, mildly annoyed. Simon should know that he was there for him throughout the entire process of his relationship.

“I know, I know but even then I didn’t want to bother you. But I promise that I will call you when something this important happens” Simon said, with a single nod.

Magnus uncrossed his arms and suppressed a sigh. Simon could be a dork but he really was a considerate guy and, he was sure, a gentleman too. Magnus just had to try a little harder with Simon to make an improvement.

“Well, I’m glad that he said yes, a little reluctantly but he said yes nonetheless. So this is what’s going to happen,” Magnus said, while pulling something out from his back pocket. “These are tickets for an art gallery from Ragnor Fell.” He gave them to Simon.

There were two rectangular tickets with the name of Ragnor Fell and the address of where it was going to be, with bold letters saying “Where art should be.”

Simon raised a brow at the statement and looked at Magnus.

“He is a bit of an egocentric man but you get used to it.”

“Do you know him?” Simon asked, putting the tickets in his back pocket.

“Kind of. Not important. Take Raphael there; it is my understanding that he likes art. It should be fine” he said making Simon nod. “Okay, now Simon. Let’s get down to business.”

Magnus saw how Simon straightened himself up.

“Raphael Santiago is an important person and most likely he will be surrounded by people equal to him. You are going to be there and you must make yourself noticed. He’ll be a gentleman and he will introduce you to them” Magnus said, making Simon nod. He continued. “It is important that they notice that you are there.”

“Like an alpha male sort of thing?” Simon asked, grimacing.

Magnus tilted his head to give it a thought. “It sounds awful, I know but business, as any other career, is ruthless and if you are going to be with someone as important as Raphael, you need to stand your ground, okay? Like saying you are not going anywhere and that you are there _with_ Raphael, not like an assistant or any other thing.”

Simon nodded once more, so Magnus continued. “Let’s talk about the man of the night.”

“Mr. Santiago” Simon replied, smiling.

Magnus smiled, because well that was cute. “No.” Simon furrowed his brow in confusion, dropping his smile. “No, you see the man is Ragnor Fell and he’s Raphael Santiago’s best friend.”

“Best friend? I thought the night was about Mr. Santiago.”

“It is” Magnus replied, smiling, causing Simon to look confused. “You are going to earn Raphael by gaining the acceptance of his best friend. Best friends have the privilege to make the decisions on romantic partners. If they say no, chances are your loved one is going to reject you. If they say yes, then you are good to go.”

Simon nodded to show he understood. “Ragnor Fell. The important one. Got it.”

“Now let’s talk about how you are going to make physical contact. The way you touch him can give him your intentions and it’s crucial that he gets the right ones, okay?” he inquired, looking intently at Simon, who was nodding. “For example,” Magnus started, pacing a little and waving his hands in order to explain. “If you are going to touch his back, you have to be careful where you are touching, Simon, it’s important. The key to this is his middle back, not upper because you don’t want to be seem like a friend and not lower because you are not a creep and looking for a hook-up.”

Simon nodded again and made a movement with his hands in the air indicating where he should touch. “Middle. Got it.”

“If you do this correctly, I can guarantee you’ll be in a relationship sooner than you think” he said. Magnus stayed silent, thinking what else he should add. He looked intently at Simon and said “I don’t usually do this but there is a big chance that there is going to be music and if he asks you to dance, you can’t say no–“

“Oh, I’m not worried about that but if there are people–“

“I’m sorry” he said, cutting Simon off and raising his hands to stop him. “I hate to be a stickler but I need to be thorough.” Magnus pulled his phone out to select a song from there and it started to play through the stereo. “Show me what you mean about not being worried about it.”

And suddenly Simon was making the weirdest moves, like doing an impression of someone making pizza in the air, little movements with his index finger and thumb near his ear and his body tilted to the side and then did it again with his other ear. Faintly, he heard Simon called the movement “q-tips”, which didn’t make it better. Then he started to move his feet as if the floor was on fire or he was killing insects. Magnus didn’t know. He turned around and started swinging his hips in rounds.

Magnus tried not to show any emotion but what he was watching was leading to a disaster. He knew Simon was saying things to make a better impression of his “dance movements” but he just blocked it out because what he was seeing was enough. There was no way Simon was stopping his ass movements, so he just pulled his phone back and stopped the music.

Simon was really feeling it until there was no music and turned around to see Magnus who was looking at the floor and had his arms crossed.

Magnus stayed silent for a minute and then raised a single finger. “Don’t you ever do that again” he said, emphasizing in every word with his finger.

“I was just expressing myself.”

“No, no, _mm–hmm._ Not like that, you are not, okay?”

_I promise myself I would help him_ he thought as he played the song again.

“This is where you live” Magnus continued, putting himself in position, a basic move, moving from right to left keeping the rhythm of the song and his knees a little bent.

Simon mirrored the action moving from side to side.

“This is your place” Magnus continued “There’s no–“and then he raised his arms and started to move them in a zig-zag in the middle of the air, starting from his right side.

Simon looked amazed and Magnus thought inwardly that he was teaching Simon dance movements, which wasn’t his goal here.

“There’s no need for that. There’s no need for pizza, they have food there” he continued and then he put his elbows near his waist. “There. Six inches from the waist, 90 degree angle‒” and Simon was starting to feel the music “Don’t! Don’t bite your lips! Stop it” Magnus reprimanded him while still doing the movement.

“People relate dancing to sex, okay? Even a great dancer can lose their companionship because they feel brave and want to make a better impression.”

“But that’s what I want, to make a great impression.”

And Simon was at it again, doing his pizza movements, the “q-tips” moves while cleaning his ears, a bad impression of a moonwalk and while doing so, he almost got tangled with the carpet. He then turned around to look at Magnus.

Simon smiled smugly. “Next subject.”

Magnus stared blankly at him and with the driest tone he could muster; he said “Get out”.

Simon made puppy dog eyes but at the end, he went because he had to be ready for his date.

Magnus waited for the door to click shut, he then exhaled loudly.

“I promised. I promised I would do it” he muttered to himself to keep remembering that Simon was in need of help too.

 

§§

 

As Simon was getting ready, he remembered the first thing Magnus said to him that first day: the one thing to make this work was confidence and he would gladly be drowned in confidence just to make the night worth it.

 After his meeting with Magnus, he called Mr. Santiago to let him know about the art gallery, which he had already known about but he would gladly go with him. And Simon couldn’t be any happier.

He wondered if he should still call him that. Were they still in the professional spectrum? Could this be called the beginning of their relationship?

And now that he thought about it, maybe he just insisted too much. Did Mr. Santiago think that? Was he still thinking about it? Or worse, did he accept the date out of pity?

His mood simmered down considerably.

How could a relationship grow if he hadn’t taken a rejection since the beginning? Because Magnus was right; Mr. Santiago accepted a little reluctantly.  That wasn’t the way to do it. He should call him and–

His phone started ringing. It was a text.

_“I know you are freaking out. Take deep breaths, Simon, deep breaths. Raphael could have said no since the beginning. Instead, he said yes. Focus on that.”_

In that case, Magnus was right too. He could have said no but halfway through the conversation, his boss had thought about it- dating Simon- and probably made up his mind and now Simon was on his way to the first date. He hoped it would be the first of so many if everything ended well.

_No, when_ he thought determinedly, _when everything ends well because I refuse to think that it’s going to be a flop._ He nodded, convinced everything was going to go according to plan.

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

He heard a car honk, startling him. Mr. Santiago took the liberty of picking him up by his house and as much as he wanted to be a gentleman and wait for Mr. Santiago right at this gallery, Simon also wanted to arrive with him; a sacrifice he didn’t mind making, so he’d said yes when the former had suggested it.

_Here goes nothing._

Simon looked at his outfit one last time and walked out of his house.

 

§§

 

Raphael had been in multiple meetings, with important people and with his board. Multiple meetings all over the world and nothing could compare to the nervous feeling of going out on a date; absolutely nothing. The fact that he didn’t know anything about Simon was a downer too because what they could talk about?

He took a deep breath. Freaking out wasn’t the solution.

He looked at his right, where Simon was seated, who looked composed to Raphael.

“Ready?” he asked and Simon nodded.

The driver went out of the car, rounded it to arrive at the door and opened it for them.

Simon went first and when Raphael was almost out, he saw a stretched hand in his direction. Simon was giving him his hand for support. If it wasn’t for the people around the house, he would be swooning on the spot.

The moment he saw the different paparazzi crowding the entrance, he was surprised.

_Ragnor went all out._

Ragnor didn’t like drama, that was for sure but that didn't stop him from chasing the spotlight that his art, and whatever else he imagined he could do, would give him. And this art gallery was just that: the spotlight. He loved his best friend, he really did but Ragnor was too much. Still, he was there to support him and because he liked his art too, but that was something Ragnor wouldn’t know.

They finally made it to the entrance. He knew many of them had taken a photo of Raphael and Simon with their hands still clasped but he wouldn’t worry about it, not now.

As they walked through the entrance, Raphael could see that the place was packed. There were people everywhere; mingling at the food table, around the different paintings or dancing to the song playing in the background.  
  
"Come on, I want to introduce you to someone" Raphael said, turning around to see or almost see how Simon put his arm behind own back and was smiling at him and that was probably Simon’s failed attempt to put his arm around him but maybe Raphael was just imagining it.

Simon nodded, with his arms now behind his back, and followed Raphael.  
  
They walked over to a group of men who were chatting while drinking champagne. Raphael suppressed the need to roll his eyes at them and at Ragnor. Why were all artists so extra? He knew there were all kinds of beverages at art galleries but he knew Ragnor hated champagne. So, why was this kind of liquor there? Because Ragnor was something else. Sometimes, not even he could understand his eccentric friend.  
  
The moment the three men saw him, they made a space for him and were smiling at him.  
  
"Raphael, how good to see you here."

He suppressed the need to grimace because although they were big clients for his company, surprisingly, and buyers of all kinds of paintings, Raphael hated them all, just as he loved his job.

All three men were tall with fair skin, and a pretentious look. One had blonde hair, the other had black hair and the last one had red hair. They could have been handsome if it weren’t for the fact that they were all jerks.

“Good to see you too” Raphael replied, politely. “Simon, let me introduce to Gregory” he said, signaling to the blonde one and the one who talked first. Simon shook his hand. “Joshua and Roy” Simon then shook each hand.

Simon, bless him, smiled to each one. Raphael was sure Simon could smell the assholeness from a mile away.

“Did you know? Jeffrey is poor now” Roy said, with a grimace.

“Yeah, I’ve heard. It’s–“

“Couldn’t even afford the trip on my yacht” Roy continued, without giving Raphael the chance to say his opinion.

Raphael faltered a little because there he was, surrounded by vultures who found joy from the miseries of others.

“And Myrcella. The poor girl has a lawsuit and now she doesn’t even have enough to buy in Dolce & Gabanna” Gregory said, shaking his head, clearly disappointed.

Joshua moved closer to the group and said almost in a whisper. “I’ve heard she is buying now at Macy’s.”

The other two gasped loudly, not believing what they had heard and Raphael couldn’t believe he was hearing this kind of bullshit. He could feel Simon’s eyes on him but he didn’t have the courage to look at him. How could he explain to him that he had acquaintance with these kinds of people? Or that they were important to the company, without feeling judged because he made deals with them?

“I won’t talk to either of them. What if poverty is a disease? I don’t want to catch that” Joshua grimaced.

 “Excuse me, Josh–“

“It’s Joshua” he said, shooting a glare at Simon.

Simon smiled “Right, Josh. Listen, poverty isn’t a disease but what _you_ have? That’s something else. When you find out what it is, we’ll be back and discuss it” Simon smiled sweetly again.

Raphael bit his bottom lip and looked down because he was sure that if he looked one more time to Joshua’s face, he wouldn’t contain his laughter. He then felt how Simon put a hand on the small of his back to push him gently outside of the group, leaving three stunned men gaping at Simon.

“Thank you. I hate them all” Raphael said, feeling like he just let out the biggest secret.

“Really? I think they are _lovely”_ Simon smiled again.

And what else could Raphael do besides laugh a little?

 

§§

 

“I want to introduce you to someone else and I promise you, you’ll like him. For real” Raphael said, smiling.

And now that he thought about it, this was the most he had been smiling. Simon made him smile and there was nothing that could stop the feeling of warmth and comfort inside him.

There, at the top of the stairs leading to the second floor, was Ragnor is all his egocentric glory. He still asks himself how the two are good friends. Granted, Ragnor was one of the first people to give him his unconditional support, both financially and morally, and he was grateful every day for having a friend like him. Nevertheless, Ragnor was a prickly human being and every detail could drive him to a fit or ecstasy.

“Ragnor, my prickly friend” he said, once they were at the top of the stairs. Ragnor looked at him with a raised brow. “I want you to meet Simon.”

_My date_ went unsaid.

He could say it, Ragnor wouln’t judge him but he didn’t want to sound hopeful if later, it wouldn’t work out. They shook hands and suddenly Simon was looking thoughtfully at Ragnor’s hand.

“Your skin is smooth. Very impressive considering paints’ chemicals could be corrosive for the skin, don’t you think?”

Raphael knew his eyes were saucers because what the hell was going on? He looked at Simon and then at Ragnor who was rooted in his spot with both his brows raised and his lips a little bit parted.

“And that suit jacket does wonders. It’s a beautiful combination with your eyes.” Simon continued, who didn’t seem fazed by the frozen bodies and skeptical looks around him.

Ragnor blinked twice and then looked down to his suit jacket. Well, Raphael could agree with Simon too. It was a beautiful combination but did Raphael want to give that little tidbit to his prickly friend and be an accomplice to an inflated ego? Over. His. Dead. Body. Ragnor could live his life without knowing Raphael liked his decisions about clothes.

Ragnor looked up again and there was a smirk plastered on his face “Why, thank you, Simon. Also, a pleasure to meet you.” He looked at Raphael with a knowing glint in his eyes.

Well, he was screwed. Raphael wouldn’t hear the end of it.

Simon smiled again and said he would go fetch some drinks for them, while both Ragnor and Raphael watched him go.

“Care to explain?”

Raphael tilted his head, trying to find an explanation for a date he hadn't even thought he would have “It’s‒It’s complicated.”

“Dealing with Magnus is complicated. This?” he said, doing a motion in rounds with his hands over the place where Simon had been standing. “Is not.”

“Well, I wouldn’t know because you don’t want me to meet this Magnus guy.”

“Changing the subject is not going to help you” Ragnor rebuked, crossing his arms. “And to answer that, you two are just too difficult to make a date with.”

Raphael just shrugged it off. It was really difficult for him to have free time. He was there because Ragnor was his best friend. If it wasn’t for that, he’d probably be at his office.

“I hope it’s official because I like him” Ragnor patted his shoulder and went on his way to make chit chat with his visitors.

There were no words to describe how good it was that his best friend had approved of Simon. It wasn’t certain, he didn’t know if after tonight this dating could grow to be a relationship. He could only hope for that. He turned around to see Simon was walking back to him.

Bringing three drinks in his hands, he almost tripped and it was a miracle the drinks were still in his hands; he nearly crashed with someone else after composing himself. Simon was clumsy, there wasn’t any other way to say it and he had this all around nervous vibe. Even knowing that, it was a surprise to see him so confident with Ragnor back then.  
  
Raphael thought that all of that made him _Simon._  
  
"Where is Ragnor?" Simon asked, once he reached Raphael. He was looking around to try and find Raphael's prickly friend while handing over one of the drinks.  
  
"He went to meet some more people" Raphael replied, and took a sip. He wasn't an avid drinker but sometimes, he liked to drink one or two glasses, especially at events like these. Red wine was his favourite. Raphael looked at Simon. "Tell me about you.”

And maybe asking like that, without so much as a filter, wasn’t his best choice of the night because now Simon was choking and coughing, drawing attention to them.

Raphael looked at him, with a concerned look and patted his back.

“Are you alright?” Raphael asked, with a furrowed brow.

“I’m fine” he coughed “Really, I’m fine. Sorry. What was the question again?”

He wasn’t convinced but he would let it slide. He would be careful next time he was so straightforward.

“Talk to me, about you” he repeated, careful this time.

At this, Simon perked up and he looked more confident.

_Confidence looks good on him, I must say_ he thought.

“Well, let’s see. I work as an accountant, you know that” he started, walking aimlessly with Raphael, sparing a glance to the different paintings. “Which was a surprise to my whole family because I don’t come off as someone who could work in a corporate setting.”

Raphael hummed. There was truth in that statement. Simon didn’t strike him as a businessman and he could recall those first times he saw Simon at the meetings, he had just thought he was an intern. Within years and still seeing Simon in the company, he started to feel intrigued. Simon was too young to be there and it wasn’t like the business world was exciting, at least not for those who didn’t work in that setting

“I know that look” Simon said suddenly and well, Raphael didn’t know he had been giving a _look_. “Don’t be fooled by my smooth and young face. I like the business world; it was my choice to study that. But it’s not my passion, you know?” They stopped walking.  Simon looked directly at his eyes. “I love singing but it’s just a hobby for me, I’m not looking to make a career out of it. I made my peace with it. I’m happy where I am.”

And maybe, just _maybe_ , Raphael was hallucinating because he was sure that that last part was directed at him.

 

§§

 

Simon hadn’t known but now he was 100% sure that being subtle wasn’t in his DNA. Of course he was happy where he was, especially if that place involved Mr. Santiago but the plan wasn’t for his boss to know that so soon.

Magnus could kill him.

But Mr. Santiago hadn’t run away yet so he hadn’t totally screwed up the date.

Simon heard his boss clearing his throat. He didn’t notice he had looked away after his not-so-subtle confession. Maybe that was his way to subconsciously avoid any other awkward moment with his boss and that was just so _perfect_. Simon hadn’t plan for his boss to know his feeling so soon. Now he needed for Magnus to teach him how to be subtle. _Way to go, Simon_ and if he could, he would roll his eyes.

“It’s good to know that” Mr. Santiago replied, staring at him “My company wouldn’t be the same if we lost someone as valuable as you, Simon.”

Simon held his gaze and looked for something that could clue him in if his boss was lying but he didn’t find anything. Maybe he wasn’t the only one making _subtle_ statements or maybe he was just projecting because there was no way he was that important to a company that big.

Simon laughed a little, for good measure making his boss raise a brow. “I think there are more valuable accountants dying to work for you, Mr. Santiago.”

His boss didn’t reply right away but held his gaze. Then, he shook his head. “Maybe you don’t see it now but you are important for us, Simon” he said, and added “I think it’s fair now that you call me by my first name only.”

Simon stared, gaping like a fish out of the sea and once he regained composure, he stuttered out “don’t you think that’s unprofessional?”

“This is a date, Simon” he replied, with a smile on his face “I’m not your employer here.”

Right, yes. They were on a date. His crush was here with him. A date.

_Good timing to let that sink in. Not the time to freak out, Simon. Control yourself._

He nodded but didn’t say anything.

“And your date would like to dance now” Raphael said, once the music changed to something more upbeat.

Simon wasn’t one to deny that wish.

 

§§

 

But in reality he was ready to flee that place if it wasn’t for the fact that Mr.– No, Raphael‒ had said he was his date and asked him to dance. And this time he was going to listen to Magnus’ advice. No funky moves‒

Raphael turned around and Simon made his pizza moves.

‒Well, at least he wouldn’t do it while Raphael was watching him.

_“‘Cause baby, every time I love you, in and out of my life, in out baby_ ”

Simon was really feeling the music and he prayed that Raphael would never turn around. It was just like playing guitar, he just left the music to do with his body what it would. He just felt free.

_“Tell me, if you really love me it's in and out my life in out baby”_

He must find out what the name of this song was so he could practice new moves.

_“So baby, love never felt so good.”_

And then Raphael turned around and smiled at him, bright and happy.

Yeah, so good.

For a moment, he felt a bright light on him. But it was so fast; he just thought it was from the lights above the makeshift dance floor, so he just let it slide.

What mattered was that maybe his feelings weren’t as one-sided as he thought they were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love savage!Simon and smiley!Raphael. Quite the pair. But I love even more kudos and comments ;)  
> Tell me your thoughts, my fellas, they fuel this story too.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A date and an accidental kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We continue with the good Saphael content because writing both of them being awkward is just a blast
> 
> As always, thank you to my amazing [beta](http://wewalkadifferentpath.tumblr.com/) because this would be a mess without her.
> 
> Enjoy, my fellas.

The moment he was out of his apartment, he had thought that it was going to be a good day, amazing, even. He had a spicy thing to write about his column that day. In fact, he had thought that he had the perfect breaking news.  
  
Well, that plan was a flop.  
  
There, in a corner of the New York Daily's freshly print newspaper was Raphael Santiago, one of the most important people in the business world, dancing and smiling with some guy named Simon Lewis.  
  
How the fuck did that happen?  
  
No, scratch that. How the fuck did Alec not know?  
  
Funnily enough, the stand was just in front of his newspaper's work place. So, yes, everyone who worked with him knew.  
  
"Planning an escape route?" a familiar voice asked behind him.  
  
"I'm currently thinking where to hide, yes" Alec replied without turning around, still with the newspaper clutched in his hand with that little square glaring at him. "How the fuck did this happen, Luke?" he asked, this time turning around and looking at his boss, "I don't like showing off and you know it but I like to think that I'm good at my job. How did I miss this?"  
  
"You should be more worried about Lydia. She could–"  
  
"Fire you?" another familiar voice retorted behind him.  
  
Alec visibly flinched. He wanted a good day, god damn it.  
  
"That would be harsh. I don't know if I'm capable of that" she continued with a nonchalant attitude. "I mean, it's not like our biggest competition has the news that not even we knew."  
  
There was sarcasm in her voice laced with annoyance. He could defend himself by saying it was so under wraps that it was hard to know that kind of news but who he was kidding? It was his job to know that, even if it was hidden.  
  
"I want details, Alec" she said with command in her voice, dropping the nonchalant attitude "I want to know who this Simon Lewis is. I want his backstory, where he works, how they met, everything. I expect no less from you."  
  
Alec nodded sharply.  
  
"Hell, I even want to know since when Raphael Santiago likes to dance" she muttered after taking a hold of the newspaper and looking at the glaring square.  
  
"Since I started following everything business-related, I don’t think I’ve ever seen this" Luke added, looking at the square too. "It's really surprising."  
  
"What do you mean?" Lydia asked, looking at the business editor.  
  
"To put it simply, I don't think I’ve ever seen him this happy, smiling even. That’s a novelty. Do you think is wise to go around and ruin this boy's life?"  
  
Lydia pondered for a minute. "It's our job, Luke. We work in a newspaper. We have to be sharks with any news and this one," she said, raising her hand with the newspaper, "is that kind of news."  
  
She looked at them and then handed the paper back to Alec. "I want those details today" she said, and with a last final look, she was leaving.  
  
Luke turned to look at Alec "What do you think? Do you want to go snooping around?"  
  
"Well, you've heard her" Alec replied, putting the newspaper back in the stand "It's like she said, Luke. It's our job" he took a deep breath. The day was going to be long; he needed strength. "I'm going to make some calls. If Lydia asks where am I, I'm doing my job." And he would be damned if he didn't do it well. Alec thanked his boss and he nodded, turning around to leave.  
  
Alec walked away, getting his phone out from his pocket.  
  
"Who is the best person in the world?" he asked the moment the call was connected. "Yes, Raj. I'm asking for a favor but you are still the best person." He stayed silent for a second and then said "Yes, I'm on my way."

 

§§

  
  
The damned newspaper was also in Raj's home. How fitting.  
  
"So, tell me the good stuff."  
  
Raj raised an eyebrow. "Hello, Raj. How are you? Long time no see. We should catch up sometime. Listen, I need a big favor" he replied with a cheery tone that didn't quite match with his gaze. "Try that sometime, Lightwood."  
  
Alec rolled his eyes while dropping onto the sofa. Raj's home was a little apartment but no less comfy for it. It was a shame that he was a workaholic because he would have liked to stay there and really catch up with Raj.  
  
Surprisingly enough, Raj was one of the few friends he had in high school, surprising because he was so shy back then that it was a novelty itself that he had his friendship. Sadly, after they'd graduated, Raj went abroad to visit his family and got his well-deserved vacation.   
  
It wasn't until his last year of college that he saw Raj again but even then, it had been difficult to set up a day and catch up. Both of them were busy. Raj had been studying marketing at that time. Alec guessed that that hadn’t turned out well and now Raj was a bartender.  
  
"I'm working on my social skills" he said simply.  
  
Raj pursed his lips with a skeptical look. Then he sighed and sat down in front of Alec. "For someone who works at a newspaper, you should be able to, you know, _talk._ "  
  
Alec waved his hand, dismissively. It wasn’t a big deal. "I don't have time to work on that and anyway, I'm not here to talk about my rough social skills."  
  
"Rough is a cute word. I would say lack of social skills. That defines you better" Raj commented, making Alec leveled him with a glare. Raj snorted "So, what good stuff?"  
  
"I heard that–"  
  
"You heard or you went out looking?"  
  
Alec glared at him again. "Not important. I heard that you were working at Ragnor Fell's gallery. Do you know who the guy was that went with Raphael Santiago?"  
  
"Well, everyone knows now" Raj replied, tilting his head to the side where the newspaper was "It's really hard to miss. My TL is full of photos of them dancing. I'm surprised he didn't take them down."  
  
Alec hummed in response. "That's what I want to know."  
  
"Well, I don't know who he is" he said, making Alec slump in defeat, "but I heard he went with the tickets from a Magnus Bane."  


_That is interesting._  


Alec kept his cool and lowkey poker face because hearing that name was a surprise. Why Magnus was involved with someone like Raphael Santiago? Even more, how was he connected with Simon Lewis? It didn’t seem that they would hang out with the same people but Alec could be mistaken and New York was a city where odd stuff happens, so at this point he was sure it wasn’t a coincidence; he was sure Magnus was involved in all of this.  
  
"I've never seen the man since I've been working for Mr. Fell” Raj continued “but he is always on the list."  
  
Alec hummed again. "Anything else?"

“I figured you would come to me for some info, so I snatched the phone number from the guy” he said, standing up, and went to the kitchen counter.

Alec was _giddy_ because that was just a bonus. He hadn’t had the opportunity to ask for Magnus’ number on their date. And he was doing his job. The day was improving.

Raj came and handed a list with all the names and numbers from all the guests and there with his name highlighted, was Magnus. Beside it was his phone number.

Alec nodded. “Thank you. Anything else?”  


"Yeah. Stop working so hard and get laid. Maybe that would make you relax a little."  
  
"That skill is also rough" Alec replied making Raj snort. "Where is the security guy you have been fawning over for three months now?"  
  
"Yeah, it's time for you to leave" Raj replied, standing up.  
  
"Oh, come on" Alec said, smiling, "you said we should catch up. Let's gossip, then."  
  
"Nuh-uh. I'm not doing this with you. Come on, leave." Raj urged for him to get up.  
  
Alec sighed in despair, standing up too. "Fine. But I want that info soon."  
  
"Yeah. That's not going to happen."  
  
After saying their goodbyes and bickering some more, he was out of Raj's house. He was still trying to connect the dots. How did Magnus know someone like Simon Lewis? How would the two of them have ended up knowing each other?   
  
He pulled his phone out.  
  
"Fray" he said, once the call connected, "tell Lydia I'm on my way" and hung up once Clary said her part.

 

§§

  
Raphael supposed his not-so-secret date wasn't even considered a secret now. His phone had blown up with a bunch of different versions of who was Simon Lewis. Even his mother had called him yelling at him; she couldn't believe that he had a boyfriend and hadn’t taken him for a family dinner. Considering that Simon wasn't really official, that could be awkward.   
  
He looked at the newspaper again. If he was really being honest with himself, they looked cute together, even cuter in HD photos. He now had a file in his phone with every photo his family had sent him, which was a secret that he intended to keep.  
  
His phone beeped again with a new photo; he looked at it and smiled. That was one of his favorites: they were looking at each other and smiling. After that, he’d closed the gap they had had since the beginning, putting his arms around Simon's neck, while he had put his hands at Raphael's waist. That was the first time in a long time that he had felt at ease. Simon had made him feel like that and he would be lying if he said he wanted the feeling to stop.  
  
He was falling for Simon, fast. How in the world?  
  
His office's door opened abruptly and Lily was walking briskly, with a scowl etched on her face. She made it to the desk and put her phone on it. There, in HD, were Simon and Raphael. This time Raphael had his back to Simon while Simon had his arms raised and had his eyes closed.  
  
It was one his favorites too. He suppressed the smile that was begging to come up.  
  
"Care to explain?" she asked, still with her scowl and crossed arms, tapping rhythmically at the floor.  
  
"Well, that's a phone and you use it to make calls–"  
  
"Don't play with me, Santiago. I mean it" she chastised him with another glare.  
  
Raphael, as the mature and successful man he was, bit the inside of his cheek to stop the impending need to crack a smile. "Well, you asked me. I'm answering. A phone is an important device."  
  
The glare was at full force this time. His smile cracked and once he looked at the phone again, his smile widened. He looked at her again and shrugged. "I had a date."  
  
"Yeah, no shit. Since when?" she asked, taking a seat. "Now I know why you were so interested in knowing who Simon Lewis was."  
  
If Lily said one day that he’d blushed just then, he would deny it forever.  
  
"That was before" he muttered, moving the newspaper away but still in his sight.  
  
"Before?" she asked, amused and with her brows raised. "So, what's the after? Is this official?"  
  
He shrugged. "I don't know. I guess we'll see."  
  
She hummed. "I'm assuming he asked you out. You are too much of a chickenshit to do it."  
  
He gaped at her. "I'm your boss, remember?"  
  
"Excuse me. You are a chickenshit, sir" she replied with all the sarcasm she could muster.   
  
Raphael glared at her again but that was the most he could do when she was right. He could make million dollars deals and make great business relationships with other companies that could benefit both his company and whoever he was making the deal with, but relationships were a foreign concept and something so simple as to set up a date, could put him on edge. The fact that Simon made him so feel at ease could make this easier but still, it made him nervous.  
  
"Well, I could have asked him if I had the opportunity but he was faster."  
  
She hummed again. "Right." She stayed silent for a minute. "I'm still mad that you didn't tell me this change of events but I'm glad that you are off the market."  
  
"I was never on the market. Don't be ridiculous" he muttered while signing some papers. Even while gossiping, he had a job to do.  
  
"You could be if you stopped being a workaholic and got out a little."  
  
"I went out" he said, raising the newspaper without looking up. "I had fun. End of story. And I'm not a workaholic. I just like my job."

Raphael didn’t look up from his papers but he was pretty sure Lily was shooting daggers at him, so he wasn’t crazy enough to look up. The thing was, he didn’t know what was up with Simon and with just a date it wasn’t enough to tell if they were official or not. He just hoped there was another date coming.

They stayed silent and he knew why. Lily was trying to force him to tell her the whole thing, just by pressure and he had enough years of practice with pressure. He could endure Lily’s need for gossip.

She crossed her legs; that was her move, she was annoyed. “Well, did you kiss him?”

Raphael almost fucked up his own signature and cursed inwardly. He looked up at Lily. “What?”

“You heard me” she replied with a smirk painting her lips.

He opened his mouth but nothing came up and her smile was still on. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

Lily groaned and rolled her eyes. “Don’t play dumb, Raphael. You are too intelligent for that. Give me some _chisme_ ” she begged, putting her hands under her chin as if she was going to pray.

Raphael arched a brow. “Now you are using Spanish against me? _No seas ridícula,_ Lily. Besides, a kiss is– That’s not necessary.”

“Be honest, do you like him?”

“ _Dios, si,_ ” he moaned, “he is too cute to be real. I can’t believe I’m this far gone for this guy. Like, that doesn’t happen, Lily. _Se supone que no me iba a gustar y ahora–_ “he stopped abruptly, biting his lip.

” _Y ahora?_ Now what?” she asked eagerly.

“Well,” he shrugged “maybe I like him more? Maybe I want to…” he trailed off and shrugged again, thinking Lily understood him. Instead, she just looked at him expectantly urging him to continue. He sighed in resignation. “Maybe I want to kiss him.”

Lily, slowly but surely, started smiling. “That’s more like it. Well, go there and ask him out.”

_What?_

“What? Are you crazy? No.”

“But you already said you want him.”

“To kiss him! And that’s a big if.” He sighed again. “I don’t want to get my hopes up for nothing. What if–“

“If you keep thinking in the what ifs and the maybes and whatnots, you are going to be lonely” she cut him off abruptly, “So, go out there and ask him out.”

“But, Lily–“

“Nuh-uh. Go” she demanded, like the good friend she was. Lily smiled. “I’ll wait here.”

Raphael glared at her, shooting daggers and everything but the truth was he was nervous to ask a guy out; ridiculous. It wasn’t like he hadn’t already gone with him. But here he was, like it was the biggest meeting he’d ever had. Maybe it was. Simon could be that special someone that Lily, and sometimes Ragnor, had always bugged him to find.

He knocked on Simon’s office door but there was no sound, so being the CEO he was, he didn’t wait any longer and opened the door.

Just to see Simon dancing away. He had his back to Raphael and headphones on, so there was no way that he could have known that Raphael was watching.

_“–I’m too lit to dim down a notch. ‘Cause I could name some thangs that I’m gon’ do”_ Simon moved his hips to both sides while keeping his arms raised to his head “ _Wild, wild, wild”_ He turned around and keep on dancing but he had his eyes closed. “ _When I’m with you, all I get is wild thoughts.”_ He opened his eyes and looked directly at Raphael, who was amused by the whole thing but it was endearing at the same time.

Simon stood frozen in his spot and then when everything started to sink in, he begun to apologize frantically and put away his headphones. “I’m so sorry, Raphael–I mean, Mr. Santiago. We are at work. I suppose I can’t use your name–“

Raphael raised his hand to stop him. “Raphael is fine. I think we are over formalities” he replied with a small smile.

Simon smiled too. “So, what can I do for you? Oh! Have you–“ he cleared his throat; Simon looked more embarrassed for whatever he was thinking than dancing in front of him, “have you seen the photos?”

_Ah, that._

Raphael nodded. “I did. I actually have different versions of them” he admitted, a little sheepish, then he walked hesitantly up to where Simon was standing. “In fact, I’m here for that.”

 “Really?” Simon asked, surprise clear in his voice.

Raphael nodded again. “I was wondering if you wanted to go out again. With me, that is.”

Simon looked at him, with his lips parted and his eyes like saucers.

"You look surprised" Raphael said, leaning in the wall behind his back and with his arms crossed "Did you think I didn't like going out with you?"  
  
"Well, I look surprised because I am surprised.  I mean, look at me" Simon said, dragging a hand towards his body.  
  
Raphael followed that hand with his eyes and looked, really looked at Simon's body. This time around, his suit was more fitted to his body and he filled it out but other than that‒  
  
Raphael shrugged. "I don't know. You look fine by me."   
  
And all of the sudden, Simon was blushing and looking bashful; it clicked what was going on. Raphael almost rolled his eyes. "Fine" was supposed to be a synonym for good, not for "delectable". He would never call Simon, or anyone for that matter, “fine”. Regardless, it was endearing to have Simon blushing because of a compliment, a compliment that was true. Simon looked fine, good for Raphael’s standards.  
  
Simon cleared his throat, bringing Raphael back from his musings. "So, you said going out again. Yes. 100% yes. Of course I will go out with you again" he agreed, nodding frantically.  
  
Raphael chuckled and moved from the wall. "I'm feeling nostalgic. What do you say about going out for dinner? Tomorrow night. Mexican" Simon nodded again "Great" and Raphael smiled again. He turned around and went to the door and while going out, he said: "Can't wait, Simon."  
  
And he left, feeling happier than he had earlier that morning.

 

§§

 

“Care to explain, Simon?” Magnus asked while almost throwing the newspaper to his clumsy client. “It seems to me that you are dancing.”

After his years of experience, he could pinpoint someone who was head over heels for someone else and Simon was the embodiment of that example. The way he looked at the newspaper, the dopey smile and the faint blush coloring his cheeks, it was proof enough Simon was crazy for Raphael Santiago and so, Magnus could almost let this little mistake go.

_Almost._

Magnus snapped his fingers. “Focus, Simon. Why were you dancing?”

“Because the music was calling me and I answered it?”

“I won’t even dignify that with an answer” Magnus said dryly.

They were currently a few blocks away from Magnus’ home. Magnus was going through his emails and social media while drinking a coffee in a café near his home when Simon called him frantically, saying that Raphael had asked him out the following night. Magnus wasn’t going to let him down, so he had then said to meet him there.

“Tomorrow night is a big one.”

“Is it?” Simon asked, frowning.

“Of course it is. Listen, this could be your opportunity to redeem yourself. It’s a dinner, so it should be easy” Magnus said while walking towards his apartment building. “But what happens there doesn’t define the relationship.”

“What do you mean? I thought that whatever we could talk about while eating defines it. You know, getting to know each other.”

“Well, that helps too but what I meant is after” Magnus continued. He stopped walking and turned to look intently at Simon. “I need you to really do what I’m telling you this time.”

Simon nodded.

“This could be the night when you two finally kiss.” Simon gasped, but Magnus continued, “I hope that you are ready for that.”

“I mean, of course. It’s–Yeah, okay” Simon replied, nodding.

Magnus arched a brow. “You have thought about it, right?”

“Yeah. Of course I have. I mean– It’s…” Simon trailed off, looking anywhere but Magnus.

Magnus sighed in resignation. “Simon, eight out of ten people believe that the first kiss will tell them everything they need to know about a relationship and believe me, he has definitely thought about it.”

“He has?” he asked with surprise laced in his voice.

“Of course. I mean, it’s not like he’s going to act on it, so it’s not a big deal” Magnus replied nonchalantly, waving a hand dismissively.

But he was faking it to see if Simon got the message through his false pretense. 

“Not a big deal, then what’s–“

No such luck. “It’s a very big deal, Simon!” Magnus yelled, making Simon jump. He was exasperated; Simon was beyond Magnus’ expertise but again, he liked challenges.

“Huge.”

“Monumental! You are not– Listen,” Magnus said, leaning forward, putting a hand on Simon’s shoulder to make him listen more intently, “I need you to wrap your head around this. Tomorrow night, Raphael Santiago could have his last first kiss.”

Simon blinked twice slowly and then suddenly he was pulling out an inhaler.

Annoyed wasn’t the word Magnus could use to describe this whole situation, more like exasperated because Simon was something else. He sighed and shook his head; Simon was a special case but Magnus had a reputation to uphold and Simon would have his happily ever after, whatever it took to make it.

“Okay,” Magnus said, pulling his hand back, “show me what you got.”

 “What do you mean?”

“Show me how you would kiss me.”

“I wouldn’t kiss you.”

Magnus shook his head. “I’m not me. I’m Raphael.”

Simon blinked twice and then his face turned to a grimace. “But you are really not” he replied, like he was talking to a toddler.

“Okay, Simon. Tomorrow night you are dropping me off at home. Show me the magic” he replied with a smile, ignoring Simon’s complaint.

Simon looked behind him and then at Magnus. “I’m not really comfortable with this.”

Magnus took Simon’s hand, still ignoring his refusals, and they walked up to the stairs of some building, while Simon kept complaining.

“Simon, I had such a wonderful time with you” he said, and Simon groaned but they still kept going.

“Yeah, good food, huh?” Simon replied with just the good amount of awkwardness.

Magnus put his free hand inside his pocket. “Do you see what I’m doing?” he asked, while they stopped at the entrance. He pulled out his set of keys “Fiddling with my keys.” He moved the keys making a jingling noise. Simon looked down and back to Magnus. “Someone that doesn’t want a kiss, takes their keys out, puts them in the door and goes in. Someone that does want a kiss, they fiddle” Magnus made the sound again, moving the keys and smiling again.

Magnus kept looking at Simon, expecting him to move but his client was looking nervous, panicking even. In another situation, he wouldn’t do this. At this point, his client should know _how to kiss_ on his own and really, a kiss could come up naturally with everyone but with Simon? Maybe some explanation and demonstration would do.

Simon swallowed and nodded.  “Okay, have a good night.”

And he made a move to escape but then Magnus was grabbing him and pulling him against a wall. He moved closer to Simon’s face “Do you see what I’m doing?”

Simon was freaking out at this point, Magnus could see that but he wouldn’t let Simon go until Magnus was 100 % sure his client’s night would go perfectly.

Simon replied with wide eyes. “Robbing me?”

“No. You see most guys they rush in to take the kiss but you are not most guys.” Magnus shook his head, encouraging Simon to do the same. “The secret to a kiss is to go 90 percent of the way and wait. If everything goes well, you get the kiss.”

Simon gulped. “How–How long?”

“For as long as it takes for him to come the other 10 percent.”

“Okay, 90 and 10. Copied that” Simon said while nodding.

“Perfect” Magnus said, and pulled away. “Now, your turn.” Magnus fiddled with his keys and smiled while Simon sighed in resignation. “I had a really good time tonight, Simon.”

“I had a great– great time too, Raphael.”

They stayed in silence. Magnus raised his eyebrows expectantly, waiting for Simon to make a move, while giving him little nods of encouragement but, apparently Simon wasn’t having it. This was the perfect opportunity for Simon to practice. Teaching how to kiss was a high school move, Magnus knew it but he wanted Simon’s relationship to go without a hitch and if this was the way to do it, so be it. Magnus made another move to tell Simon to come closer and he rolled his eyes. The nerve. This was a contract and Simon should listen to him.

Finally, Simon moved forward and puckered his lips with his eyes closed. Magnus wasn’t convinced; Simon opened his eyes and looked at Magnus. Simon nodded, encouraging Magnus to move forward but this time, Magnus wasn’t having it. He shook his head and Simon move forward again, leaving them no space between their chests. Simon puckered his lips and closed his eyes for a second time. When Magnus didn’t move, he opened his eyes to see Magnus grimacing.

“What’s wrong?”

Magnus shrugged. “I’m not feeling it.”

“What do you mean not feeling it? I’m putting all my effort here.”

“I don’t know. I feel like you don’t want it.” He shook his head again. “Look, I’m Raphael Santiago, the man of your dreams. The man whose black eyes are limpid pools of desire. Now, show me the magic, Simon. Show me–“

‒And Simon was kissing him, cutting him off abruptly from whatever he was planning to say, sending him two steps backwards and stopping the kiss from going any further.

It was his turn to look at Simon with wide eyes and parted lips. This time, annoyed could also describe this situation.

 “What the fuck, Simon?!”

“I was showing you the magic!” Simon replied with a high voice. He was frantic but he didn’t look apologetic.

“No. I said come 90 and then I come 10! You don’t go the whole 100.” How in the world Simon got the idea to kiss him, really kiss him, was beyond him. Simon was a lot to handle. “My mouth was open, Simon!”

He wasn’t disgusted; he was baffled and exasperated because “accidental kisses” with his clients don’t happen, at all. In his experience, that doesn’t come in the package deal. But he should have learned by know that he couldn’t do the usual with Simon. He walked back to the stairs; he was ready to go home.

“But other than that, how was it?” Magnus heard Simon ask while approaching him.

Magnus rolled his eyes, hard. He wouldn’t dignify it with an answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't panic, my fellas. The kiss was really an accident, it doesn't mean anything AND IT'S NOT CHEATING, so don't jump into wrong conclusions.
> 
> Because I couldn't help it, Raphael HAD to speak spanish (so my latina self could be happy too), so here are the translations for that little bit of conversation:  
> -Chisme: gossip.  
> _ Dios, si: God, yes.  
> -Se supone que no me iba a gustar y ahora–: I wasn't supossed to like him and now-
> 
> I love writing Alec and Raj as a good friendship. This is my contribution.
> 
> Anyway, comments and kudos bring me life and smiles AND if you have a prompt, [hit me up here](https://iactlikegarfieldonamonday.tumblr.com/)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second date. Second mess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE MALEC YOU ALL BEEN WAITING FOR.
> 
> If you already seen the movie, you will recall this scene, if not, then I hope you laugh just like I did when I wrote it (I really recommend to watch the movie, not because of the story but because "Hitch" is really a good movie... But also because of the story hehe.)
> 
> This story wouldn't be the same if it wasn't for my wonderful [beta](http://wewalkadifferentpath.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Enjoy, my fellas!

Alec entered Lydia’s office with a proud smile. He was feeling his accomplishment that day; he was getting his goals done.

"So, I solved the mystery and I'm ready for you to give me a raise" Alec announced.  
  
She turned around from his computer, looking apologetic and Alec's mood immediately simmered down.

"I should apologize to you," she said. Alec looked at her confused, so she continued, "Luke talked to me and said I was being too hard on you, knowing for a fact that you are one of the best here but it’s not your fault when something like this happens. I guess I was so caught up that some other newspaper was getting the big news I wanted. I’m sorry I snapped at you.”  
  
He wasn’t going to lie and say that it didn’t feel good when your boss recognized your hard work but at the end of the day, this was his job. Finding drama, as pathetic as that sounded, was his life and exposing someone’s secrets was his everyday goal. That was why he worked for that column. So, while Lydia could congratulate him for previous work, he wasn’t going to let her apologize for this mistake, a newbie mistake at that.  
  
"Hey,” he started, making her look up “this is my job, okay? It was really my fault that we didn’t have this. I should have been more focused but I promise you, it won’t happen again.”  
  
"But, Alec–"

"Nuh-uh. Lydia, I'm fine. I appreciate it and if you really want it, I’ll take your apology. But really, it's fine" he said, giving her a reassuring smile.

She rolled her eyes but gave him a small smile anyway. “Fine. So, what did you find?”

“I have a way to discover who Simon Lewis is,” he replied, pulling out the list and handing it to Lydia.

She read it and looked at Alec with doubt reflected on her face. “Isn’t that the guy who asked you out?”

Alec waved his hand dismissively. “It’s not official. It was just a date anyway.”

Well, he hoped there were more to come and someday it would be official but that wasn’t something Lydia should know. Chances were she’d think it was getting too personal and put him out of the job; while it could be true, it was still his job.

She still looked dubious but nodded. “Well, what’s the plan?”

Alec took the list back and started dialing Magnus’ number without answering back to her. After waiting for the call to connect, it went to voicemail, so he just mouthed that to her.

“Hi, Magnus. This is Alec. I had great time with you despite everything that happened,” he said, throwing a side glance to Lydia, who was listening intently with her arms crossed “And I was thinking if we could do it again. Meet me at _Nell’Italia_ at 8, tomorrow. I hope I can get an answer back.” He disconnected the call and put the phone back.

There was a nagging voice at the back of his mind that sounded weirdly like Lydia’s that said he was making a mistake and there was some truth in that but he would just waved it off. It was just a voice, nothing to be worried about. He turned back to the real Lydia who was sporting a scowl.

“Did you just set up a date?” she asked, with her arms crossed.

He opened his mouth but nothing came out, so he just shrugged. “It was to get information, of course.”

She hummed. “That sounded to me like a date.”

He snorted. _It sounds like a date because it is a date but I need to believe it still just a job._ Lydia raised an eyebrow and looked at him expectantly.

“Trust me; it is to get information, nothing else.”

He felt a little guilty that he was using Magnus to get information about Simon but his job was first, so he could drown that feeling and get his job done, and then enjoy what could be a new relationship for him. Alec was going to keep explaining himself about the whole “date” when someone interrupted him.

"Your favorite redhead has some big news for you.”

Alec turned to the owner of that cheery voice and there she was Clary looking excited. He raised an eyebrow while Lydia did the same with her arms still crossed.  
  
"And what would that be?" Alec asked.  
  
"There’s this restaurant here in NYC that is famous for its Mexican food. It’s homemade food and really makes you feel like you are there. They had their clientele and they were always full house. A good restaurant" she paused and looked down at her notepad, looking for something “Unfortunately, they had closed a while ago because of a sanitary regulation.”

Both Alec and Lydia looked at each other and said at the same time “rats” and grimaced.

Clary nodded and grimaced too. “Yeah, I saw the photos. It was nasty. The owners said they didn’t know how that happened but they had to close immediately. Now they are doing a grand opening because they had finally solved their issues.”

Lydia shrugged while looking at Alec, who looked mildly confused. She turned back to Clary. "That sounds great and all but I don't think it's the kind of big news we are aiming for here."  
  
"Just listen. They are sending invitations to their faithful customers and requesting for us to be there and take pictures. I did a little research and found out that Raphael Santiago has been going to that restaurant for five years." She paused, letting that information sink in. "This means he could be there tomorrow."  
  
"I still don't see how this could be big news, Clary," Alec said, with a confused frown.  
  
Clary rolled her eyes and huffed, annoyed. "I knew you were obtuse but not this obtuse. Think about it: Raphael Santiago may be dating Simon Lewis and he is being invited to this restaurant; a perfect place for a date." She paused again, looking at them excitedly.  
  
Slowly but surely, both Alec and Lydia started to understand where Clary was coming from. That meant they were close to figuring out who Simon Lewis was.  
  
"You said tomorrow, right?" Alec asked. Clary nodded, still looking excited. He stood up and looked at Lydia. "By the end of the week, we might have the whole story. What's the name of the restaurant?"  
  
Clary looked at the notepad in her hand and then back to Alec. "It's called The Black Ant. It says here that the food is good and they have good ratings. I mean, they should be good. Raphael Santiago looks like someone who has good taste."  
  
Lydia stayed silent for a moment and then sighed. "Listen, I think Luke is right. We are on our way to ruin their soon-to-be relationship." There were signs of guilt on her face.  
  
"You are kidding me, right? You were the one who asked– No, demanded details. Don't go soft on me, not when we are this close." Alec was baffled. How could Lydia just drop everything like this?

"I'm not going soft. I'm just thinking that maybe we shouldn't go this deep" she replied.  
  
"It'll be fine, don't worry." He turned to look at Clary. "Tell Jake that I need him ready for tomorrow. I need him to be early and have his camera ready, please." She nodded and was on her way to do what he asked. "Now, Lydia, if you excuse me I have a... Thing to do tonight."  
  
"You mean a date?" she asked, smirking.  
  
Alec glared at her but didn’t reply because there was some truth in that statement but he would be dammed it he said something.  
  
"Listen," she started, changing her demeanor from playful to serious, "you know this person and it’s getting close and personal. If you are really doing this and, listen to me Alec, _really_ doing this, you need to make a line between professional and personal. I don’t want you to get hurt for whatever you might find.”

_Well, shit._ Lydia knew him too well but he wouldn’t cave. Whether it was a date or not, there was a main goal there and it was getting information; simple as that. But still, it was offensive; since when wasn’t he a professional? The fact that he knew Magnus didn’t change a thing. This was still his job and really, it was a coincidence that the guy was there in the middle. He was going to get the info and that was it; then he could really enjoy the night with him because even if he didn’t show it, he wanted to go out with Magnus.

“Lydia,” he started, moving forward to put his hands on her shoulders, “I find it heartwarming that you are worried about me but it’ll be fine, I promise you,” he said with a reassuring smile making her nod. He dropped his arms to his sides. “Now, I really have to get going. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Lydia nodded and then Alec left, sorting through his things mentally so he could be ready for his- well, for his date. Whatever.

 

§§

 

Magnus decided that moment that all workers at Sephora were just a pile of assholes. First a girl implied that he didn’t know the difference between liquid eyeliner and crayon eyeliner. He was pretty sure the name was a dead giveaway. And then a guy told him the foundation he chose didn’t match his skin tone. Who was also the same guy that was showing off his patchy eyeshadow and foundation.

He was ready to flip them off but he was a gentleman, so he told them fuck off in a gentlemanly way

After he got rid of those, there was a girl who came up to him telling him that makeup was an art and it takes time to perfect it. As if he didn’t know, as if he didn’t spend money and time on his makeup collection and routine every day. He was sure the girl was implying he didn’t know what he was doing.

He sighed to calm his frustrations while climbing the stairs to his apartment. Nevertheless, he had a date that night, so it was still a good day.

It had been a surprise that Alec still wanted to go out with him because after the first disaster date, he was ready to drop his hopes out the window. Who could want a date after that? Apparently, Alec Lightwood. But he wasn’t going to throw this away, especially when this was his chance to redeem himself.

Once he finally reached his door, he opened it. He sighed in relief. His home was the only thing he wanted after his stressful moments at Sephora. He wanted to rest for a few hours and then–

“Why are you carrying so many bags? Did you buy the whole store?”

Fuck sleeping.

“Ragnor, what the hell? Get out.” Camille was a mistake but having Ragnor in his house 24/7 was a nightmare. "I'm starting to regret giving you that key. If this is going to be a common occurrence, please bring your stuff and infest my guest room" Magnus said dryly, while putting his bags on the kitchen counter.  
  
"Someone is bitchy today," Ragnor replied. He started to look inside the bags "I'm sure you already have two or three things the same as these ones. You should spend your money in something useful."  
  
"Don't tell me how to spend my money" he grunted.  
  
Ragnor raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"  
  
"Sephora's personnel don't realize that guys can be experts on makeup too. Which is saying something because there are new guys everyday making trends with new makeup ideas." He could be one too, but he loved his job anyways.  
  
Their friendship consisted of understanding that both of them were bitchy and grumpy from time to time. This time around was Magnus’ turn to be like this and it was Ragnor’s turn to be somewhat understanding, his sarcasm notwithstanding.  
  
"Anyway," Magnus continued, pulling out the different liquid lipsticks he bought, "I have a date, so the day is not a complete waste."  
  
Ragnor hummed "Is this a new one I should know about?"  
  
"No," Magnus replied shaking his head. "this is the same one. You know, Alec Lightwood," he said, looking up at Ragnor.  
  
Ragnor looked surprised. "The slushie date? See? I knew he would come around."  
  
"Let's not declare victory over this‒ Can you believe the girl at Sephora thought I didn't know my skin tone?" he asked in disbelief, holding a bottle of foundation, which had his skin tone; he looked at Ragnor expectantly. Ragnor looked lost and just shrugged, making Magnus roll his eyes and put the bottle back.  
  
"Focus, Magnus. I don't think makeup is a pressing matter right now" Ragnor said with a furrowed brow.  
  
Magnus gasped, pressing a hand over his chest to make it more dramatic. "Makeup is important, Ragnor. How else do you think I'm going to impress Alec Lightwood? Besides my amazing fashion sense, wit and quick thinking, I need eyeliner as sharp as my jaw." Ragnor scoffed but Magnus continued "Besides, I need all of this. My supplies are getting low."  
  
Ragnor just shook his head. Well, Magnus had been trying to tell his friend that makeup it was a part of his life, even when he didn't use it in his job, it was still part of it.   
  
After Camille, it was fair to say he'd lost his confidence. The little he had in those times, well, he'd lost it completely. But then he found out the magic of makeup and how confident it made him feel. Of course, gaining muscle and giving himself pep talks everyday worked too but makeup did its wonders.  
  
"Regardless, I think you made an impression, even it wasn't the conventional one, my friend." Ragnor said. Magnus rolled his eyes because that was an understatement. Ragnor continued "Did he say something?"  
  
"As a matter of fact, he did" Magnus replied, looking through his bags, "we are going to a restaurant. Dinner. Pizza. Wine. I feel like wine tonight."  
  
They stayed silent for a minute, with only the rustling sound of the shopping bags. Those silent moments were the times where Ragnor wanted to pull a serious conversation, either to tell him whatever he was doing was plain wrong or to be careful. He was sorting his options mentally for what he was wearing that night and to give Ragnor the opportunity to say his piece.  
  
"You know what I'm going to say, right?" Ragnor asked.  
  
"After so many times saying the same thing, yes I know."  
  
"Well, I'm going to say it again because I'm that annoying friend" he said, making Magnus moan in annoyance. "You need to be careful, Magnus. You are dating a journalist and it's known that they are sharks."  
  
"Why should I be worried? Because of my job? I'm pretty sure Alec has more important news to keep an eye on" Magnus told his friend, briskly. He was fed up by the same conversation. It was bad enough to have Ragnor being annoying on a good day.  
  
"Magnus, listen–"  
  
"No, you listen," Magnus cut him off abruptly, "I'm touched that you are worried but I can't live thinking that every guy or girl is going to leave me for what I do."  
  
"And what about Isaac or Jenny? You told them and look what happened" Ragnor said, coldly. "You had to leave the city and come to New York. Is that right?"  
  
Magnus turned his head to avoid looking at Ragnor, shame filling him up. He met Jenny in Los Angeles; a beautiful girl who he thought was the right one. He trusted her deeply and really thought telling her exactly what his job was could improve their relationship. Instead, the girl told him all sort of awful things, including the standard: "you are pathetic; looking for love for others because you know you won't get your own."  
  
He left LA to avoid any encounters with her, even when the city was big enough; he wasn't going to risk it. So, he then went to San Francisco. There, he met Isaac. Same old story. He trusted too much and ended up being a joke.  
  
Three mistakes later and he still wanted to find someone who accepted what he did. So far, he wasn't lucky. At least he could say that nobody had heard him say the L word.  
  
Magnus sighed ruefully. "I'm going to be careful. I promise." Ragnor sighed too and shook his head. "Really. I know how to evade invasive questions. Now, I'm going to go make myself pretty."  
  
Magnus took all his bags and smiled at Ragnor on the way to his room, not realizing that Ragnor didn't look convinced about the whole ordeal.

 

§§

  
  
Alec had been waiting for Magnus for ten minutes. Enough time for him to ponder if he really wanted to use Magnus as his source. Did he really want to break the trust he was going to build that night? He loved his job but did he love it enough to lose a potential boyfriend?  
  
Because he had been thinking about it. Yes, the first date was a disaster but that was the beauty of it. He was expecting to have more than just info for his column, to really get to know Magnus.  
  
He heard the sound of an approaching car and turned around, just in time for a taxi to pull over in front of him.   
  
Alec reeled back, stunned, and felt his knees get weak. If he had been amazed by Magnus being sweaty with a sleeveless hoodie, what he was seeing now was another level of gorgeous.  
  
Magnus was wearing a deep red button-up that did wonders for his arms and back, black pants that seemed to be painted on his legs and black boots. Assortments of necklaces lay delicately between his pecs, pulling attention there. Alec could attest to that. Magnus' hair was combed to the side with a deep red streak and his eyes were lined with dark kohl.   
  
Alec was frozen. How the hell had he managed to survive last time? Magnus was gorgeous. He knew he was staring; a once over wasn't enough to save every little detail of the man before him. Magnus was staring at him too, sporting a little smile once he did his own once-over.  
  
"Hi" Magnus said, still sporting that little smile.  
  
"Hi, yourself" he replied, smiling too, recovering from his frozen state. He was a weak man. Alec knew that. "We should go inside. I made reservations," Alec told him.  
  
Magnus nodded and then they both fell into step, and went inside of _Nell’Italia_. After checking for their reservation, they followed the maître who led them into a private booth. The place was cozy and warm, with dim lights that made the booth even more private. Alec was proud to have selected the place. He was into making an impression but it wasn’t a date. It was a get-together. Nothing more.

_Nell’Italia_ had that vibe of being intimate and that smell in the air of homemade pizza, which was the first thing that had made it Alec's favorite place, thanks to Clary for dragging him out and finding it.

"I must admit this place is beautiful. Vey homey," Magnus told him, looking around the booth.

It certainly was. The place was big enough to have booths and tables all scattered in the room and space for the numerous waiters to come and go. There was tranquil music in the background that made the atmosphere more appealing and made you stay even longer than you were planning on staying in the first place. That was Alec’s plan: staying longer and getting to know Magnus.

_That is why this is a get-together. To get to know each other.  Of course_

Alec willed himself not shake his head; it was ridiculous. Magnus was already making him weak and he was trying really hard to fool himself, that this was a _get together_. As if.

“In fact, I find it hard to believe that you wanted another date after the first one,” Magnus continued while his gaze rested on Alec.

Okay then. It was a date.

“Everyone deserves a second chance,” Alec replied, “although it wasn’t your fault. I believe you that you didn’t know the woman. I guess she was just confused.”

“Thank you, Alexander,” Magnus replied, and that little smile of his widened.

Alec was torn because he wasn’t supposed to fall for Magnus but if the man kept looking at Alec like that, he would have to make an exception.

“Good evening, gentlemen,” the waiter greeted them, holding a pad, “Ready to order?”

Alec looked at Magnus who nodded. “Yes, thank you. We would like to start with‒” he looked down at his menu and then back up “ _Prosciutto di Parma,_ and a bottle of _Chianti.”_

“Very well.” The waiter nodded after taking their order and left.

Alec looked at Magnus, who was already looking at him with surprise. Alec raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Magnus opened his mouth a little but then closed it and bit his lip. There was a faint blush on his cheeks, which was a treat that Alec could get used to. Magnus shook his head and shrugged. “It’s nothing. I guess I’m just surprised that you pulled off an Italian accent so well. I never thought I would date a man of many languages," Magnus said, with a little smirk.  
  
Alec chuckled. "I wish I were a man of many languages. I know English and barely Italian."  
  
It wasn't lost to Alec the tone that Magnus used to say "date", almost dreamy. Alec could relate; being there was almost like a dream. A charring contrast with what his plan had been at the beginning of the night.  
  
The waiter came back with their order and poured each one wine in their glasses. They took a sip. If he wasn't so caught up on every little thing Magnus did, he could almost miss the low moan Magnus made after he took his sip. Alec pressed his lips together tightly; Magnus was killing him slowly but surely.  
  
_I will ask my thing and then I can go on with my date_.

Because he was ready to make a relationship with Magnus and although his job was important, being lonely was taking a toll on him.  
  
He definitely saw a future with the man in front of him.  
  
"Are you ready for the main course?" the waiter asked, alternating his gaze between Alec and Magnus.  
  
"Yes. You have a special for today? _Voglio abitare nell'Italia_."  
  
"Yes, sir. Different types of pizza that resembles each city's specialty," the waiter replied, confirming Alec's doubts about the plate.  
  
Alec turned to look at Magnus to see whether he was okay with that or not. He shrugged, and then nodded, a clear message that he didn't know the plate and he was going with whatever Alec had decided. He turned to look at the waiter, who nodded, took their menu and walked back to place their order.  
  
Without the menu to help him gather his thoughts, Alec looked down to his laced fingers on the table. How do you ask a man if they know someone and be subtle about it? Because Alec wasn't into that. His blunt demeanor was what had gotten him into his job and what made him the best at it. And how do you make a date still look like a date and not like a business talk?  
  
Alec cleared his throat. "I was meaning to ask you," he started, making Magnus looked at him intently, "I heard that your friend Simon Lewis was at Ragnor Fell's gallery with Raphael Santiago."  
  
Alec kept looking at him waiting for something to pass the other man's face but he remained with a blank expression. If he was shocked about what Alec had said, he didn't show it.  
  
He continued "How did you two meet?"  
  
"Well, friend is a big word," Magnus stated carefully. "I mean how well you know your accountant? But I find it more intriguing that you think I have a connection with Simon Lewis," he added, and drank his wine.  
  
Alec was two steps from ruining their date, so he had to ask carefully. "He was there with your ticket."  
  
Magnus raised an eyebrow but didn't push over how Alec knew that. "If you must know, as I said, he is my accountant and I thought it would be nice to give him something for his blossoming romance with Raphael Santiago. I simply wanted to help him."  
  
Well, that sounded reasonable, so he didn't push either. He was ready now to keep blossoming whatever they were getting into. If it was a relationship, he wasn't one to turn it down. He would take whatever Magnus was ready to give and leave it like that.  
  
The waiter came back carrying a tray with a single pizza enough for four people and with different toppings scattered on the surface. It looked delicious and the smell was even more alluring. He set the tray before them, nodded at them and before he could leave, both Alec and Magnus thanked him. They took a moment to look at their plate.  
  
"I have a question too." Magnus asked suddenly, making eye contact with Alec, who was stiff all the sudden because of the question, "What was this meal called?"  
  
Alec visibly relaxed; he was so sure that the conversation was going to turn in another direction, like how he was suddenly so interested in Magnus' acquaintances. And well, he wasn't ready to answer that. At least, not yet.  
  
" _Voglio abitare nell'Italia_. I want to live in Italy, which is a desire of mine, if I'm being honest," Alec replied, bringing a slice to his mouth.  
  
"Well, as far as I’m concerned, it's a great treat to fall for someone who could charm his way with more than one language” Magnus said, absentmindedly, focused on his slice of pizza than rather than the reaction his statement caused to Alec.

Alec smiled a little. Well, if he was being honest, it was a great treat to fall for someone who was everything that Magnus was.

Magnus hummed and took a slice with pepperoni and took a bite. They stayed silent. Alec knew that the silence wasn't an uncomfortable one but the possibility of not having a topic of conversation or staying silent throughout the date was killing him.  
  
"Tell me about you, Alexander," Magnus said, bringing Alec back from his reverie.  
  
He was starting to like the sound of his name coming out of Magnus.  
  
"I'm pretty sure I told you all about myself the first night we met," he replied with a little chuckle.  
  
"But that's just the surface. I want to know what makes you _you,”_ Magnus said, taking another bite of his slice.  
  
Alec took a napkin to clean his hands and to give himself a moment to think. "I spend too much time at work, so I'm not that interesting. Some might say I'm a workaholic but I disagree. If I love my job, why should I spend my time doing something else?"  
  
Magnus hummed again. "I agree. But I have to ask. Why did you choose journalism when you could work with your parents?"  
  
Alec arched a brow, he was sure he hadn't told Magnus anything about that. "My parents?"  
  
Magnus nodded, taking a sip from his glass. "Lightwood Enterprises, one of the largest companies in the business world. You could be a successful CEO if you were following your parents' steps."  
  
Alec hummed. "Yes, but I didn't see myself in that environment. I don't know, I think if I had done what my parents were wishing for me, I'd still be my old self."   
  
"I believe it's different from the one I'm seeing now."  
  
"Way different," Alec replied, chuckling. "Surprisingly enough, my parents didn't want me to go to college. They were set on thinking that they could teach me everything business related. So, my senior year was hell, between avoiding my parents’ desire and trying to hide my sexuality." He finished, taking a bite from a slice with pepperoni.  
  
"What happened then?" Magnus asked, staring intently at Alec.

This time, he just shrugged. “College happened. I just‒ I was tired, you know? I think I saw that as an opportunity to grow, find myself, discover my sexuality, be apart from my family and meet new people. Be independent.” He paused to drink from his glass. “I was so afraid, you know? I’d thought it was going to be hell, knowing my family wasn’t around but that changed and it was for the best.”

“And your parents? I believe they weren’t happy about your change.”

“Oh, they were furious. I don’t know what was worse for them: coming out gay or choosing another career so different from theirs, but since I wasn’t living with them, they didn’t have much of a choice. With time, they ended up accepting the fact that nothing was going to change, neither my career nor my sexuality.” He shrugged again “And I’m happy now.”

The night really took another turn. It wasn’t his plan to talk about himself, not that he was ashamed of it, far from it. But the fact that he could talk about it so freely with Magnus, wasn’t lost to him. Alec didn’t know much about Magnus but he was already ready to tell everything to him. He just hoped Magnus felt the same way.

“But enough about me. What about you? What makes Magnus Bane so interesting?” he asked, taking a bite from another slice.

“Oh, so you think I’m interesting?” Magnus replied with a smirk; Alec just shrugged so Magnus continued. "Well, I'm a consultant, as I told you before‒"  
  
"Which I'm very interested to know what that is about," Alec interrupted.  
  
Magnus waved a hand, making the subject seem less important. "It's really boring, you don't want to know."  
  
Alec really wanted to know but it was clear that Magnus didn't want to talk about it and if he pushed more, his date would close off. But the journalist inside him was begging to ask; why didn’t Magnus want to talk about his job? Was it really boring?  
  
"It's not that I don't want to tell you," Magnus continued, a little warily with his gaze cast down while separating a slice with mushrooms on it. He picked it up and brought it to his mouth, taking a bite. "It’s that I don't want to make you bored" he finished, after swallowing.  
  
Alec hummed, still not convinced. Someone like Magnus should be really proud of his job; his whole demeanor reflected pride, which it was one of the things that made Alec attracted to the man.  
  
"Well, if you say so, I‒"  
  
He stopped mid-sentence when he heard a choking sound coming from Magnus.  
  
"Magnus, are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm‒" he turned his face to the other side and made another choking sound. "I'm fine. It's getting hot in here, don't you think?" he asked, gripping his button-up and pulling it away from his chest. He made another choking sound.  
  
"No, it's‒ Are you really okay?"   
  
"Yeah, yeah." Magnus replied. He turned his head to the other side and tried to cough but it sounded worse than the choking sound, and‒  
  
"Oh my god" Alec blurted, worryingly.  
  
And how could he not? The whole left side of Magnus' face was puffy, especially his eye. It was... It was something.  
  
"What?" Magnus asked, turning his gaze towards Alec.  
  
"Your‒" Alec moved his hand near the left side of his own face, "face."  
  
"What? What is it?" Magnus asked again, this time more worried.  
  
Magnus turned his face a little, letting Alec see his left ear.  
  
" _Jesus Christ_." Alec gasped, putting his hand over his mouth. He knew his eyes were like saucers and he was stunned.  
  
Magnus' left ear was swollen and from the looks of it, his eye was on its way to disappearing. Alec wasn't a doctor but he knew that was an allergic reaction.  
  
"You are worrying me, Alexander. What is it?"  
  
Alec shook his head. "We need to go. Now," he replied, standing up hurriedly.  
  
"What‒ But, Alec, the pizza. The wine!"   
  
If Alec's ears didn't deceive him, Magnus was a little hysteric about leaving the wine but he wouldn't dwell on it. There was pressing matter, the wine and the pizza could wait.  
  
"Doesn't matter. We have to go, Magnus," Alec replied, pulling Magnus up from his arm.

If Alec heard a whine behind him while leaving the restaurant, he paid little to no mind.

 

§§

  
  
They made it to a drugstore, Alec still pulling Magnus by his arm.  
  
"I'm sure it's nothing, Alexander." Magnus said, not an ounce of worry in his voice.  
  
"It's‒It's something," Alec replied turning his head a little to speak and then he said lowly "trust me"

He went to the front desk almost yelling “Where are the medicines?”

They guy, without looking up, said “aisle number two.”

Alec thought that he said thanks but he was worried; he kept pulling on Magnus’ arm, almost like dragging him until they were in said aisle.

“Benadryl, Benadryl, Benadryl” Alec kept saying until he found the one and threw a glance at Magnus, whose eye was almost gone because of the swollen cheekbone. “We need more than one.”

“You are worrying about nothing. I’m sure‒” he stopped talking the moment he pulled his phone out and looked at it. At his reflection which was a mess. That wasn’t his face, which was a swollen piece of meat. “What the fuck? Alec, my face is a mess!”

“Yeah, I‒ I didn’t know how to… Tell you.” He replied dumbly because how could he tell Magnus that his beautiful face was on its way to be gone? He was holding the box of Benadryl.

“We need five boxes of that,” Magnus said taking one from the shelf, opening it, and drinking. “ _Different types of pizza._ More like different types of poison!” and he drank again.

Alec suppressed a sigh. Another failed date.

 

§§

 

_“Nothing is perfect but it's worth it after fighting through my tears and finally you put me first_." Magnus started his singing like a mutter.  
  
Magnus was supporting all his weight on Alec and the latter would think that Magnus was hammered but the guy was high on Benadryl, singing at the top of his lungs in the middle of a park. It was dark but the lampposts around them were giving some light so they could walk without tripping.  
  
Well, so Alec could carry Magnus so he couldn't fall on his face. Magnus continued babbling something while balancing with a hand on the bottle of Benadryl.  
  
Suddenly, Magnus was out of his grasp, stumbled a little and then turned around.  
  
" _Baby, it's you!_ " Magnus sang while pointing a finger at Alec and the latter halted on his steps to reach for Magnus " _You're the one I love. You're the one I need; you're the only one I see_.”  
  
Alec didn't notice before but they weren't alone and now they were gathering an audience. Anybody could think Alec was being serenated by a drunken guy.

Nobody would think that the handsome man that was trying to twirl around and failing miserably, was high on Benadryl.   
  
Magnus turned to look at Alec and continued.  
  
" _You're the one that gives you all. You're the one I can always call. When I need you make everything stop, finally you put my love on top!_ " Magnus sang again, pointing a finger at Alec while moving his hips back and forth.  
  
Alec could be embarrassed but he was just charmed. Yes, Magnus was out of his mind and the singing was the result of too much Benadryl in Magnus' system but the whole thing was equally funny and adorable, if he put away the fact that Magnus was in a phase of post-intoxication.

At least the swelling had disappeared almost completely.  
  
" _Come on, baby! You put my_ ‒ Oh shit!" and he tripped, almost falling butt first if it wasn't for Alec who caught him mid falling.  
  
"Okay, that's enough of Benadryl for you," he said, taking back the bottle and straightening Magnus up. He looked up at the crowd. "What are you all doing standing there? The show is over! Go away!"

Everyone who was looking started to walk away while Alec was throwing deadly glares at them.

Magnus started giggling “Alec, I think I serenated you. I’ve never done that. I’m quite the flirt.” He smiled proudly at Alec.

Alec shook his head but there was a smile trying to show.

“Let’s get you out of here. A couple of blocks and you get to lie down,” he said while he started walking, almost carrying Magnus with him.

“Alec, you need to find someone who puts your love on top, you know what I mean? That gives you everything and doesn’t take your love for granted.”

There was vehemence in Magnus’ voice that resembles personal experience. They stopped and Alec looked directly at Magnus’ eyes.

“Have you ever fallen in love?” Alec asked.

Magnus stayed silent and his gaze wavered, looking everywhere but at Alec. It was clear for Alec that his date was trying to come up with an answer.

“Yes.” He finally replied “But I will never tell you.” There was challenge and a playful tone in his voice.

Alec rolled his eyes “Come on. Let’s get you to bed.”

 

§§

 

 

“So, this is what a journalist’s apartment looks like? I like it. Do you live alone?”

Currently, Magnus was sprawled in the sofa of Alec’s living room. Why there and not in the guest room? Because that’s how far they could go before Magnus declared that he was feeling fuzzy and the sofa was “calling” him to lie down and sleep there. So, Alec let him be.

 “Yes,” Alec replied, coming back to the living room. “I have always lived alone since I started working at the NY Post. What about you? Do you live alone?” Alec asked, sitting at the end of the sofa.

Magnus shrugged. “Beside my annoying friend, who always appears in the morning, I live alone. I hadn’t had a roommate since college.”

“Yeah, I know all about annoying friends,” Alec said, chuckling a little.

“This annoying friend is like a brother to me, a family. Do you have brothers or sister, Alexander?”

“Yes,” he said slowly “I have two brothers and a sister but I don’t see them much. They are all scattered around, which is kind of weird because I have a brother living here in New York.”

“Why don’t you see him?”

“I don’t know.” Alec replied, shrugging. “Our schedules don’t match up which is a shame because we used to be together all the time… And then we weren’t so much.”

Magnus raised an eyebrow and inquired “What happened?”

Alec sighed deeply. “Honestly, I don’t know. I remember we had an accident at my vacation’s house, at the Alps. We were younger but my brother has always been reckless. So, he’d decided we should go skiing without my parents because according to him, we were fine” he stopped and huffed “turns out we weren’t. We were skiing and I got distracted; when I turned around, my brother wasn’t where he was supposed to be. I freaked out because it was getting late and my brother was missing, so I went to the house, explained everything and went out again to look for him.”

Alec stopped to wet his lips and continued. “We found him and the bastard was asleep. Can you believe it? Quoting him, someone was going to find him, so he fell asleep. I was so mad at him but equally worried. After that, we continued being glued to each other and I was cautious, always looking out for them, for him. But then I went to college, then I got my job and it’s so hard to see each other again.”

Magnus nodded slowly, after the story sank in. “Well, your brother is a mess, I’m sure of that. But I guess that’s the kind of thing that changes you, don’t you think?

Alec shrugged “I guess so. After that, we’d agreed that the snow was just something terrifying. I haven’t gone to that house since that time. But now it’s just so hard to see each other.”

Magnus eyelids’ were dropping low. “See? Rain is a bitch.”

Alec tilted his head. “But it was snowing.”

“Yeah, that’s what I said: snow.”

“No,” Alec said, shaking his head “You said rain.”

“Same difference,” Magnus muttered.

He blinked and next thing Alec knew, Magnus was fast asleep, letting Alec see how beautiful the guy was. Magnus’ face was bare, without the makeup he had used for the night and his hair was mussed, bare of whatever product he’d used to keep it at the side.

Magnus looked relaxed, peaceful, and while Alec had seen every reaction and situation by now, this was by far his favorite one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Personally, I believe that if a date is mess but there's still attraction, then everything is good. Think about it, a few years from now you will remember your first (or second) date with your now partner and will remember that awkward dinner and laugh at it, so it's good.
> 
> But anyway, after this chapter, things start to get complicated *eye sided emoji*... and I really hope I don't get too long to update
> 
> Also, I like people and prompts. Follow me [here](https://iactlikegarfieldonamonday.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Kudos and comments are love :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story wouldn't be the sameif it wasn't for my wonderful [beta](http://wewalkadifferentpath.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Chapter 11 is where things gets good.
> 
> Enjoy!

Magnus woke up, a little confused as to where he was because clearly, this wasn't his place. He looked around the spacious living room that was connected to the kitchen and the only thing that divided them both was a long kitchen island. He looked behind him to where the long windows were letting the light illuminate the living room.  
  
It was a beautiful place but again, it wasn't his.   
  
Magnus looked at the couch where he had been sleeping. It was a big one, considering the fact that at the end of it was Alec, sleeping as well. It was a sight to behold. The guy had his hair all messed up, he was drooling a little bit and, up until this moment, Magnus hadn't thought that snores could be considered adorable. But here he was, thinking those little sounds were the most adorable thing coming from that man.  
  
He chuckled a little because he was sure that Alec would frown at him for even suggesting he was adorable.

Last night’s memories were coming back and knowing that the cute guy had already seen him in his cyclop-ish phase wasn’t good. It wasn’t how their second date was supposed to go; in reality he had been planning for a quiet dinner, telling each other stories about themselves, laughing a lot, a little sexual tension, shy looks and end the night with a kiss. Instead, he had fallen asleep in the middle of a story while his face was a mess and woke up with a sore face, while Alec was snoring.

_I should just quit with him._  
  
He sighed deeply. Magnus was very comfy but the need to grab a coffee was bigger, so with all his might, he sat up being careful in the task so he wouldn’t wake up Alec by accident. But before that, he took a look again to Alec and chuckled again.  
  
Alec was adorable.  
  
He walked out of the apartment and the building into the street, with the plan of treating Alec to a coffee and whatever pastry Magnus was feeling that morning.  
  
It wasn't lost on him how Alec had been so persistent last night, how he had asked all those questions related to Simon, which was his work; a work that Alec couldn't know about.  
  
Some may say it was a ridiculous how he was acting with the whole ordeal; he should tell Alec and that was the end of it but it was a risk he wasn't ready to take again and as he had told Ragnor, it wasn’t a crime what he was doing.  
  
As he waited in line at the coffee shop near Alec's apartment, he started thinking again about the possibility of having a relationship with the hazel eyed man. Could it be? Because according to his background history, it was so hard to even start one. His relationships had been a train wreck after another and he still couldn’t understand how his job could be a deterrent for any of them. It wasn’t remotely like cheating and they took it as if it was.

Magnus ordered two large coffees and four blueberry muffins; he took everything and was out of the coffee shop ready to see how the morning would develop with his favorite man. .

Near Alec’s apartment, Magnus’ phone started ringing; looking around, he spotted a bench and walked over there and put everything on it and with one of his free hands, he pulled his phone out, catching Simon’s name and accepting the call.

“Simon, what can I do for you on this fine morning?”

“ _This is not a fine morning!”_ Simon’s voice was a little panicked “ _I’m slightly terrified and by slightly, I mean I’m shitting myself. Magnus, this date has to go well, fine, perfect. I can’t screw that up.”_

_“_ You can’t screw it up, he already saw you dancing, Simon. That guy must love you.”

“ _I’m sensing sarcasm here but I can’t really say so over my fear here.”_ Magnus could hear rustling on Simon’s side of the line. His guess was that Simon was moving everything around.

Magnus almost rolled his eyes. “Listen, as I told you. Raphael Santiago is just another guy. It won’t go badly because I’m the one helping you‒”

“ _Don't let it go over your head_ _, will you?”_ Simon interrupted, rather sarcastically.

_How rude_ Magnus thought.

“Well, I am the best at this,” Magnus replied and without waiting for Simon’s input, he continued “And it was Raphael who asked you out this time, which means, we are making some progress here.”

Simon made a non-committal sound, which meant he wasn’t sure and well, Magnus couldn’t blame him. Tonight could be a good night or a disaster and it all depended on how Simon could play that out because at the end of the day, it was Simon who was courting his boss, not the other way around.

“Listen, how about we meet and we could go over your dos and don’ts for tonight?”

_“Would you do that?”_  Simon’s voice sounded hopeful.

“Well, of course, Simon. You are paying me and because I really want you to be with him. There are high chances.”

“ _Okay, well, thank you anyway. Meet me at Housing Works Bookstore Café. I’m going there to drown my nervousness in coffee.”_

“It will go well, Simon. Take it easy.”

Simon grumbled and disconnected the call. Magnus brought his phone back and looked at the screen perplexed.

“How rude” he mumbled but he was in a good mood; he wouldn’t let Simon’s rudeness laced with nervousness dampen his day.

Magnus took his coffee and bag of muffins, and headed back to Alec’s apartment.

Of course, he remembered clearly what had gone down last night. He had serenated Alec, in a public setting and under the effects of Benadryl but at least it was that and not something worse. He had looked drunk and it was probably what everyone had thought last night, which he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

He shook his head a little. What was done was done but he could redeem himself now.

Magnus reached Alec’s building and went directly to the elevator, pushing the button with number 3 on it.

He started wondering if Alec was awake, considering that he was unwilling to go on a run at 8 in the morning. It hadn’t been in Magnus’ plan that Alec wasn’t a morning person but he had been also unwilling to go out with him at night, so changes had to be made.

The elevator pinged, indicating that was on the third floor; he waited for the door to slide open and went directly at Alec’s door and stopped. Would it seem rude for him to go inside just like that or he should wait for Alec and just knock on the door? But if the waited there, their breakfast would be cold by then.

He sighed deeply; this shouldn’t be a hard decision and there he was, considering what was the gentlemanly way to bring coffee to his… Well, he wasn’t quite sure what they were at this point. Two ruined dates wasn’t enough to call Alec his date, much less his boyfriend.

But again, he was optimistic this day.

Praying that Alec would focus on his coffee delivery and not his break in, he went it, thinking that maybe the hazel eyed man was still sleep.

What greeted him was Alec seated on the same couch that they had been sleeping on, his shoulders slumped, with his head between his hands and grumbling angrily, probably at himself, things that Magnus couldn’t decipher.

“Hey.”

Alec looked up fast, with wide eyes, as if he was surprised that Magnus was there, which was an odd treat because how could Magnus leave?

“I brought coffee and food,” Magnus continued, making his way to the kitchen island and putting the food there. “I didn’t want to poke around your kitchen looking for breakfast, so I went out.” He pulled the muffins out, which were already with their little plates.

He turned around to see Alec already walking to the kitchen island, standing in front of Magnus. The few inches Alec had over him made Magnus stretch his neck a little bit.

“I thought‒” Alec cleared his throat “I thought you left.”

“Nonsense. How could I?” he replied and took a cup of coffee and gave it to Alec. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I went on a leap and bought a black one with a lot of sugar in it.”

Alec grabbed it and mumbled a _thank you,_ then took a long swig. He still looked wary and Magnus didn’t know why. Did Alec really think he left?

“I don’t know how you did it,” Alec said, pointing at his own coffee, “but I love it like this.”

Magnus smiled and shrugged “What can I say? I’m a people person.”

Alec smiled too; he dropped his gaze to bring it back up, looking at Magnus through his lashes and in a movement Magnus wasn’t prepared to see, Alec dragged his tongue over his bottom lip.

_Sweet Jesus_

Maybe it was the sight that was clouding his judgment but he was sure that Alec did that on purpose and painfully slow. Alec’s eyes seemed to be greener in the morning but they were slowly getting darker and _good God._

Alec was killing him slowly but he wasn’t going to fall for that so fast; he needed to be strong. So, to stop the trance that they suddenly were getting into, he cleared his throat and looked to the side.

“You know, about last night,” Alec started, getting out of their trance too and bringing Magnus’ attention back, “I had a great time despite everything.”

“It seems that every time we try to go out, something happens.”

“Well,” Alec said, drinking some more, “relationships take effort.”

Magnus blinked and gaped at him. _Did he really…_  “A relationship?”

“Yes. You have to pass all the obstacles to really be happy with the one you love and keep working on it. At least, that’s what I understand” he shrugged.

Well, if Magnus thought about it, all the “surprises” looked like obstacles to have something good with Alec, so it wasn’t so farfetched.

“I’m all for effort” he replied.

Alec nodded and then they were in that trance that Magnus was unwilling at this point to let go. He wanted to be tough, not dive in so deep, so fast in a relationship that he wasn’t completely sure was going to work. In a relationship where Alec would accept all that he was, including his not so conventional job, where he would only see it as a job and be with Magnus in every step. Meaning, his feelings would be reciprocated.

Magnus dropped his gaze, breaking that trance for a second time and swallowed. He was nervous, that much he could tell, which was ridiculous because he knew all about love, how to make it work, the dos and don’ts. It was his job, for Christ sake.

“I would love to stay some more,” Magnus said, bringing back his gaze to Alec, “but I have to get going.”

Simon was probably waiting for him at the café, drinking the second cup of coffee while working his nerves. Magnus knew him well enough despite the short time that he had been working for Simon.

Disappointment flashed through Alec’s face but it was quick and before Magnus could say anything else, Alec was nodding in understanding.

“Let me change my clothes and I’ll walk you out.”

Magnus nodded this time.

Alec put down his empty cup on the kitchen island, smiled again at Magnus and turned around walking to what Magnus supposed was his room, leaving him to own devices.  
  
So he did what was logical in this situation: look around.   
  
It was really a big place and his curiosity peaked up. Of course, it wasn't his place to ask Alec questions about how much he earned; awkward and rude. Maybe it was a gift from his parents. It wasn’t a secret that the Lightwood’s were a wealthy family, so really it was a novelty that their first child ended up being a journalist.  
  
But it was a good thing because Magnus had ended up meeting him.   
  
Behind the couch and between two windows, there were two bookcases, filled with books; a collection that went from journalism to different genres, sci-fi, mystery, comedy, horror, bibliographies. If his eyes didn't deceive him, there were a few rom-com books, so maybe Alec was a romantic but Magnus hadn't seen that characteristic at its full capacity.  
  
But it was one of the shelves that really got his attention. There were a few portraits showing Alec with someone different: a red-head, a brunette, one with his parents, one guy with a darker complexion and both of them were smiling. In fact in all of them, Alec was smiling bright and happy.   
  
Magnus took a step closer to the bookcase and look more intently at one of the photos. Looking at it, he'd remembered that last night Alec told him about his brothers and sister, so they must be them. Alec didn't tell him the names but that could wait; in the photo were obviously Alec, his parents, a kid with light brown hair, a brunette that was as beautiful as Alec and a perfect resemblance of Maryse Lightwood and a blonde‒ Magnus froze.   
  
_Is that..._  
  
There, beside Robert Lightwood was‒  
  
"Okay, I'm ready."  
  
Magnus turned around at the sound of Alec’s voice, briefly forgetting about his discovery. There was another word to describe Alec Lightwood and that was - _delectable_ , with a dark blue blazer that accentuated his arms, a black button-up up underneath, black trousers and black shoes. All in all, it was a combination that went well with his skin tone and made his hair look darker.  
  
It was really a sight for sore eyes. Alec was making it really hard to not fall for him.  
  
"Did I take too long?" he asked, looking a little sheepish "I'm sorry, it's just... It's not a common thing to have company so early- or have company at all- so I picked whatever I saw fit."  
  
"Don't worry, darling. It's okay." Magnus replied and started to walk to the front door.  
  
"In fact," he added over his shoulder "you look more than fine on this wonderful morning" he smirked and kept walking.  
  
There was a thud and a soft _shit_. If Magnus could bet anything, he would say that Alec tripped on something and well, Magnus was soaking it in. It was Alec's turn to do something embarrassing, even if Magnus wasn't looking.  
  
Once they were outside of the building with the sun pouring down on them, they were in that weird trance again.  
  
_Keep it together, Bane_.  
  
"I should‒" Magnus swallowed and pointed behind his back "I should go."  
  
Alec nodded but other than that, he didn't say a word.  
  
"Okay, well. I'll‒ I will talk to you later?"  
  
_What the fuck, Bane? You are not like this. Keep. It. Together._  
  
Alec nodded again but he was closer this time; Magnus wasn't going to dwell on that little detail. Alec's hazel eyes went from Magnus' eyes to his lips and then back up. Alec moved forward, with only inches separating them, their breaths mingling together.  
  
"Can I... I don't think I'll be calm the whole day if I go without doing something, anything" Alec whispered, his eyes still going from Magnus' eyes to lips.  
  
He was in that weird trance now and he should answer now because knowing him, he wouldn't be calm either but _damnit_ he'd promised himself that he wouldn't make stupid or impulsive decisions and this was one of those. He was still trying to decipher which one.  
  
"Can I‒ can I kiss you, Magnus?" Alec sounded breathless already.  
  
Magnus wetted his lips but it wasn't lost to him how Alec tracked the movement of his tongue, and then his eyes were back to Magnus'.  
  
"I mean..." he swallowed " _Can_ you? That's not something I’d know if you could do, right?"  
  
"You are stalling" Alec walked forward, the space getting minimal.  
  
"I..." he swallowed again. It was a fact by now: Magnus Bane was nervous about a simple kiss.  
  
_Fuck it. I want it. I want him_.  
  
Magnus looked straight at those hazel eyes and nodded.  
  
One of the corners of Alec's mouth quirked up, looking pleased and while doing so, he sneaked a hand to Magnus' hip, pulling him closer. Alec leaned in, stealing a short gasp from Magnus, as if he didn't know what was coming; he brushed his lips over Magnus', causing him to close his eyes and enjoy the moment when their lips would finally touch, cherishing the build-up of tension.  
  
Alec finally pressed his lips to Magnus', pulling him even closer to him by his waist. Alec dragged his lips over Magnus', ever so slowly, stealing short little gasps of breath from Magnus.   
  
It was intense, it was slow. It was maddening and Magnus was getting weaker and weaker.  
  
Alec alternated between biting his bottom lip, not hard but not soft, just enough pressure for Magnus to open his mouth and let Alec in.  
  
If he thought that it had been intense already, he was so wrong. Alec kiss with a purpose, there was a goal there while exploring the inside of his mouth. There was the need to know every inch of Magnus.  
  
He wrapped his arms around Alec's neck, making the kiss deeper, pulling a surprised gasp from the taller one but the surprise was momentary, seeing as Alec was even more eager to continue.  
  
Their air supply was getting low, so they slowed down the kiss until there was an inch between their mouths separating them. They were breathing deeply, trying to retrieve their lost air.  
  
"I should..." and fuck, he sounded breathless, wrecked, from just a kiss.  
  
Alec knew that, if the slow grin that was starting to form was anything to go by.  
  
Magnus chuckled, pulled his arms back and looked down, trying to recover and avoid looking at the other one because he was sure he wouldn't know what to say. He sighed deeply.  
  
"I should get going, really get going" he finally said, looking back up.  
  
Alec nodded this time without his smile faltering. "I should go too."  
  
"I will call you" Magnus said while walking backwards, letting Alec's hands go.  
  
"And I'll be waiting" Alec replied with a bigger smile.  
  
Magnus smiled too.  
  
Once he was at a safe distance, he turned around toward the direction of the café Simon had told him about, his smile getting bigger from just remembering what had happened.   
  
It was the perfect way to start his day.

 

§§

 

Alec watched him go and, honestly, he hated to see him go but he loved to watch him leave. What a view it was but more than that, it was the feeling of knowing that his feelings weren't one-sided, that had him sporting a lovesick smile, even when Magnus was out of view.  
  
He couldn't help it. He was falling hard and fast for the broad shouldered man with beautiful brown eyes and an impeccable fashion sense.  
  
And the date could have been worse, really. Magnus could have not shown up and Alec could have been stood up. So, the not-so-willing serenade had been something good. All things considered, he'd liked the date, even when he had had some ulterior motives at the start of it.  
  
But he had made his peace with it. Alec wouldn't push Magnus anymore about the Simon issue. He really believed that Simon was Magnus' accountant and why he wouldn't? It had sounded reasonable.  
  
His phone started buzzing, cutting off his train of thought. Pulling it out, he could see it was a message from Clary, asking to meet him.  
  
It wasn't an odd thing. They had been meeting up before work every day, with a few exceptions, of course but just like him, Clary wasn't a morning person, so asking him to meet up this early? Yes, it could be classified as odd.  
  
After he replied, he pocketed his phone and went to the address Clary had sent him.  
  
Maybe she had good news.

 

It definitely wasn't good news.  
  
Clary was a mess, trying to contain her tears but to no avail. The tears kept coming and rolling, and Alec was desperate at this point because he wasn't sure what the hell had happened. Again, Clary was a mess and between the sobbing and the hiccups, there wasn't much he could gather.  
  
"Clary, I need you to calm down and tell me what happened so I can help you. I need you to breathe," he said with a soothing voice that didn't match his insides.  
  
The thing was, Clary wasn't a crier, at least not since he had known her and the only meltdown he had witnessed was because of an old long-term relationship but that was it. If she was mad, she was mad, she wasn't like this.  
  
The Clary he knew could be stubborn and a pain in his ass but she would never cry.  
  
Clary started breathing normally and brought a napkin to her wet cheeks, smearing a little bit of mascara.  
  
"Now, tell me what happened."  
  
"He..." she started, swallowing hard "I think you were right, Alec. I shouldn't have let myself go just because I was desperate." She wiped her nose.  
  
"What are you‒" he started but stopped abruptly.  
  
The only guy he knew about that Clary was trying to charm was the underwear guy. He sighed deeply.  
  
"Please, Clary, please. Tell me you didn't." He knew the answer but he was hoping to be wrong.  
  
Clary burst out crying again while nodding.  
  
"I'm sorry. I was so stupid. He sweet talked me and I really thought the guy was into me," she said, wiping her tears "The worst part was that once it was said and done, he almost jumped out of bed right after it. Said he was dumb for asking help from a love doctor.” She blew her nose “Apparently, that’s a thing now."  
  
He wanted to be rational, he really tried but his best friend was fucked and dumped, all in one night, so being rational wasn't on his priority list.  
  
"What was his name?" he asked, coldly.  
  
"Alec, no. It‒"  
  
"What was his name, Clary?" he asked again, firmly.  
  
Clary sagged against her chair, defeated. "Charles Baker but listen, it's not a big deal."  
  
"It is a big deal. He just fucked you over and dumped you. How are you not mad about this?"  
  
"I'm mad but what am I supposed to do? Go to his job and make a scene?"  
  
"Well," he started, standing up, all his cheery mood going down the drain, "if you are not going to do something, I'm going to do it."  
  
"Alec, don't‒"  
  
"Alec, yes" he interrupted "You can't let this kind of man treat you like a dirty washcloth, Clary. Love yourself a little bit more."  
  
"Well, if this were a competition for who is more of an asshole, I'm sure it would be a tie between Charles, and you" she said, her voice going quivery but looking mad.  
  
And okay, he could agree. It was an asshole move to say that. He sat down again and took a deep breath.  
  
"I'm sorry, Clary. I didn't mean to snap like that and‒" he stopped the moment Clary started shaking her head.

“No, you are right,” she said, cleaning up her stained cheeks and sighed, “I should have listened to you. It was too weird going out with a guy that you’ve met in an underwear section of a store. I should have known he was a fuckboy.”

Alec nodded, considering his options as to what he could do with this situation. Yes, he was going to do something because he was tired of seeing Clary get disappointed about romantic relationships because of men like those. They stayed silent; the only noise was the clattering and voices from other customers in the café surrounding them and Clary cleaning her nose.

“Where does he work?” Alec asked, bringing Clary’s attention back.

She looked at him, perplexed with her hand with a napkin mid-air. “What?”

“I want to know where he works.”

“What are you planning to do?” she asked again, with suspicion laced in her voice.

“ _Something”_ he state simply and shrugged.

Clary sighed. “Whatever you are going to do, please, don’t go to jail.” Alec nodded but still raised an eyebrow expectantly. She sighed again. “Wall Street.”

“A fuckboy who works in finances. Why am I not surprised?” he said and shook his head. He stood up “I promise I won’t go to jail” and bent over to kiss her on the forehead.

He turned around without waiting for an answer from his friend. He was dead set on finding out who this love doctor was and take advantage of the situation to make Charles pay.

 

§§

 

Magnus entered the café Simon had told him about and went looking for his nervous client.

After passing between tables, there, in a secluded table, was Simon fidgeting with a napkin and taking shot after shot that did nothing to calm him. Magnus could tell that.

He went there and took a seat, startling the other one.

“What seems to be the problem?” he asked, skipping any kind of greeting.

Simon looked up and huffed “I think the problem is obvious” and brought his coffee back to his mouth.

“First of all, this amount of coffee is just too much,” Magnus said, stealing the cup and ignoring Simon’s “hey,” “and second, you are thinking about this too much, Simon. Remember: you have to be confident. Isn’t that what made you go out with him in the first place?”

“Well, yeah. But this is different! You told me this could be the night when we would probably kiss and I’m shitting myself, Magnus. I really can’t mess that up. What if I use too much tongue? Or what if there is too much saliva and I gross him out? I can’t deal with that stress in my life.”

Magnus blinked once, twice and pressed his lips together but didn’t reply.

“What?” Simon asked with wide eyes.

“You can’t tell me this is your first kiss.”

Simon spluttered and looked away, embarrassed. “Of course not.”

“Well, look at me and tell me that without looking away.”

Simon turned and looked back. “This is not my first kiss but this is the first time I’m so intimidated about the prospect of kissing my long-time crush who coincidentally is my boss and if he doesn’t like me at the end of it, he would likely fire me and I just can’t.”

Magnus stared at his client. After too many years working in that field, it wasn’t new that his clients could potentially get nervous about this phase of dating their long time crushes but it was new getting to see Simon this worked up about something so simple. Yes, it was something that stayed in everyone’s mind but it was like riding a bicycle: you never forget about it and once you got the swing of it, it comes naturally.

“Listen, Simon. This goes like everything I’d told you before: confidence and consent. If someone tells you that you can kiss them, you ask first anyway because that’s sexy and you have to be sure about it. You can’t stutter, you can’t look unsure, you can’t look frightened about kissing him because he could take that as if you don’t want to.”

“But what if doesn’t happen?” Simon asked.

Magnus shook his head. “It’s going to happen. Take my word on this. I know that you are scared of fucking it up, Simon. I get it but trust me; it’s going to be fine, more than fine. Okay?”

Simon nodded but didn’t reply, still looking unsure about the whole ordeal but Magnus was confident in Simon and while he didn’t do exactly what he had told Simon for the first date, it had still ended well.

“I was thinking about surprising him,” Simon said, bringing Magnus back from his thoughts.

Magnus arched a brow, encouraging Simon to continue.

Simon swallowed. “I still don’t know if it’s a good idea but I want to make a better impression.”

“I thought we’d moved past that.”

“Yeah, I know,” Simon said while nodding. “But I want to surprise him. I don’t have a plan exactly but I know it could go well.”

Magnus maintained his arched brow but looking suspiciously at Simon. “Is this going to be like your dancing?”

“Hey! My dancing is fine, thank you very much. I’m pretty sure that was what made him ask me for this date.”

He smiled, he couldn’t resist it because Magnus knew that Simon’s dancing was awful; horrible could describe it better but Simon was so proud of it, Magnus couldn’t make him disappointed, not when it was now that Simon was gaining more confidence. Baby steps but it was happening.

Simon grumbled, looking at Magnus’ smile but didn’t say a word; instead, he grabbed his coffee and drank some more, looking stressed.

They stayed silent. There wasn’t much Magnus could say to reassure Simon that everything was going to be fine. He wouldn’t say perfect because he learned by now that nothing could be perfect on the first couple of dates but the fact remained: the first date set the course for the relationship. Nothing could be perfect from Simon’s end because he knew his client was flawed but maybe that was what made him exceptional, one of a kind.

“I want to make a better impression. I want him to see my talents,” Simon said, looking down at his coffee.

“I think he already knows your talents, Simon” Magnus replied, leaning to the backrest of his seat and crossing his legs. “Working for five years in that company is not easy and being a member of every meeting with the high profiles it’s an achievement, especially when you are this young. Don’t undermine yourself.”

“I know that” he replied, nodding and looking up, “But I want him to know what really completes me and makes me happy. Kinda like the real me, the one who can make someone _feel_ something, not just the average guy who knows his numbers.”

And well, who was Magnus to not support his client when their reasons were good ones? So he nodded.

 

§§

 

“I’m telling you, sir. Mister Baker is in a reunion,” the guy at the front desk told Alec.

Currently, he was at NYSE with a purpose and that was having a word or two with Charles Baker; going by the place he worked at, the guy was rich and in some cases, that could be intimidating but Alec didn’t give two fucks about that. He just wanted to know who the famous “love doctor” was and if he could, hurt the guy.

“Well, tell him‒”

He stopped the moment he saw a group of people walking in to the lobby.

“That’s him,” the front guy said, “The one with the blue tie.”

“Okay, thank you,” Alec said and strode over Charles Baker.

The guy was waking with decisive steps to the front door and Alec quickened his stride to be in front of him. Charles stopped abruptly, avoiding crashing against Alec and looked up at him.

Charles smirked “Can I do something for you, sweetheart?”

Alec smiled seductively in return. “Yes, I need to know about Clary Fray,” he said, then dropped his pretense “The girl you fucked and then dumped.”

Charles panicked for a second and then it was over; he walked past Alec. “I don’t know what are you talking about, sweetheart” he said over his shoulder and left through the front doors.

“Oh, I think you do, _sweetheart,”_ Alec replied, trailing behind the other. “I wonder. What would your other pals think of you when they know about this scandal?”

“Who the fuck are you anyway?” Charles asked without stopping.

They were now on the sidewalk, Alec walking behind Charles who looked stiff.

“I’m Alec Lighwood. I work at the NY Post as a columnist.”

Charles huffed. “A journalist. Publish whatever you want; no one is going to believe shit.”

“It’s gossip, _sweetheart._ I don’t need big words to make someone believe a business man fucked and dumped an innocent girl. That could be the headline, don’t you think? It attracts attention and‒” he stopped abruptly the moment Charles turned around looking furious. The look Alec was looking for.

“What do you want? Money?” he asked, pulling out his wallet.

“A name. Who is this love doctor?”

Charles shook his head, exasperated and Alec could relate; just standing there in front of that walking scum was enough to make him feel exasperated.

Opening his wallet, Charles pulled out a black card and handed it to Alec. “It’s useless, anyway. I didn’t get anything out of that night with the red-head.”

Alec took a deep breath because as much as he liked drama, he couldn’t make a scene but he was at his limit.

“Anything else, _sweetheart?”_ Charles asked, with smugness in his voice, as if somehow he won that conversation.

And then his patience ran out. Next thing he knew, his fist was flying against Charles’ cheek, making him stumble and finally fall, his ass against the concrete.

It was Alec’s turn to look smug “Next time you think about doing the same shit, remember who could end your career with just a headline. Okay, _sweetheart?”_ and turned around mumbling to himself _fucking prick,_ leaving Charles laying on the pavement.

While walking, he pulled the black card out to see _MB_ in white and at the other side; it was a series of numbers, the phone number.

_Finally._ Now, he could know who this guy was.

Suddenly, his phone started ringing. Pulling it out, the screen read _Magnus_. It was instantaneous, he started smiling.

“Would you believe me if I told you I was expecting this call?”

_“I believe you, Alexander, because I was waiting for the appropriate moment to call. Call me a sap but just to hear your voice, puts me at ease.”_

His blush and goofy smile were instantaneous too. He was in deep with Magnus.

“I may be a sap too but you won’t know until the sixth date.”

_“Oh, so you think we will get the sixth date.”_ Alec could hear the smile in that statement.

“I sure hope so.”

Magnus laughed. _“Well, what do you say about making tonight the third date?”_

Alec opened his mouth, ready to say yes because he was secretly crazy about seeing Magnus again but he remembered tonight was the Mexican restaurant grand opening and there was a big chance Raphael Santiago was going to be there with Simon Lewis; it was something he couldn’t miss. He started feeling disappointed at the prospect of not seeing those brown eyes right away.

“I can’t tonight. I have an important appointment.”

_“A real shame, honestly.”_ Magnus replied, sounding disappointed too. There were a few beats without any response, until Magnus spoke again sounding more cheerful. _“Well, there’s always tomorrow. What do you say?”_

His sappy smile was back. “How can I say no?”

_“Excellent. Tomorrow night, my house. I will text you the address. Have a nice day, Alexander.”_

“You too, Magnus,” he replied and the call disconnected.

He would finally discover the “love doctor” and tomorrow he would see again his soon to be boyfriend, if everything went well.

His week was looking up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was my first time writing a kiss, so I don't know if it's as good as I imagined.
> 
> Kudos and comments are very much welcomed :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Serenades are a form of love too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really plan to see the end of this baby but when is that going to happen? I don't know hehe. What I know is that I'm aiming for 20 chapters, something like that.
> 
> Thanks so much again to my wonderful [beta](http://wewalkadifferentpath.tumblr.com/), without her this would be a grammar mess.
> 
> This chapter and the next one are mainly Saphael but all the cuteness ands in chapter 11, so there's that.
> 
> Enjoy, my fellas!

Simon looked at himself with a furrowed brow, moving side-to-side to see every angle of his outfit. He wasn’t convinced.

“Are you sure this blue suit is a great idea? I don’t know, Jace,” Simon said, looking at the body-sized mirror reflecting him, trying and failing again to tie the damn tie.

The suit itself consisted of a dark blue blazer with tints of silver, a dark blue tie, a dark blue button-up, black slacks and equally black shoes. He could admit that the blazer did wonders for his body.

_I can be a narcissist from time to time._

_“Are you kidding me, Simon? You look good. Maia, tell him he looks good.”_

Simon looked at his phone from where it was perched on the shelves near his mirror. The image changed to show Maia looking at him.

_“You look good. I don’t see the problem”_ she said, shrugging.

“I think it’s too fancy.” He pulled his blazer closer. “I mean what if I’m overdressed? It’s a restaurant; a t-shirt and jeans should be enough.”

_“It’s a grand opening, Simon. A famous restaurant, celebrities, newspapers; these people worked hard to make themselves known. And you are asking me if you are overdressed?”_ Jace shook his head. _“Think again.”_

“ _What Jace here is trying to say is that you look great and if you want to make a good impression, this is the way to do it. Raphael Santiago is a businessman, Simon. He will look the part, even if the setting is not business-like.”_

Simon tilted his head, considering his options. On one hand, they both were right. It was a big show tonight; the restaurant was going big. But on the other hand, he still looked overdressed and maybe, just maybe, he was just projecting and stalling because the truth was that he didn’t know how to deal with that situation.

_“At what time are you supposed to be there?”_ Jace asked.

“8:30.” He looked at his bed-side table clock that was showing 7:30. “That means that I have an hour to make myself presentable. My hair still looks like a bird nest and I’m still psyching myself out thinking about this as a one-on-one date. Like, we are going to be facing each other with a table in the middle. Can you believe that?”

_“I mean, it is hard to believe,”_ Jace said, and there was the sound of a slap and the “ouch!” he was hoping to hear. _“I’m just being honest. Who would have thought Raphael Santiago likes the nerdy type?”_

And there was the slap again.

_“Can you be nice to him for once?”_ Maia looked annoyed.

“Maia, don’t bother. I’m used to it,” Simon interrupted, without looking at his phone.

_“I’m just shocked. Remember when Simon was still longing for him four years ago? This is an improvement. In fact, I didn’t know Raphael even liked boys.”_

_“Well, it is an improvement and as his friends, we should be proud of him taking this step.”_ Maia sounded proud but Simon could bet Jace didn’t give two shits about his “improvement”‒

_“But he should have done this ages ago.”_

_‒_ There it was. His friend never let him down when it came to support.

_“Jace, can you be a little happier for him?_

_“I am happy. It’s just‒”_

“Guys, I know you two get hot and bothered when fighting but this is not the time. I need help. My hair needs help,” he said, turning to his phone where his friends looked a little ashamed.

_“Your hair is the least of your worries, Simon.”_

“Says the guy who always need to put gel in his hair,” Simon said sarcastically and raised a brow.

“ _My hair is a priority. Yours now is to impress Raphael Santiago. Do you have a plan?”_ Jace asked.

_“Yeah, did you think about that?”_ Maia added.

Simon grimaced, not because he didn’t have a plan but because he wasn’t sure if it was the best idea.

“I have one but…” he trailed off, tilting his head, wondering if saying it out loud and hear their opinions would be good for his already frayed nerves. He shook his head; maybe it was better to leave it as a secret. “I want to leave it as top secret. If it goes well or not, I’m sure that you will know tomorrow.”

_“What that supposes to mean?”_ Maia asked at the same time Jace said _“please don’t do something stupid.”_

He rolled his eyes. “Have a little faith in me, would you?” He glanced at his clock that now said 7:50. “I will call you guys later. I need to leave now, with my luck something could happen and I don’t want to be late.”

_“Okay, I want details!”_ Maia said cheerfully.

_“Don’t use too much tongue!”_ Jace so casually advised.

Simon waited a few seconds until the slap and the “ouch!” were heard; it was then that he disconnected the call before he could witness their banter.

He took a deep breath, rolled his shoulders and readjusted his blazer. Simon felt confident about Jace’s choice for his outfit; he looked _good_ , as someone who was Raphael Santiago’s date should look. Now that he thought about it, going there with a t-shirt and jeans wasn’t the best choice even if it was comfortable.

Simon took another deep breath, willing himself to calm down. He’d already went through all the possibilities and the worst one was his boss firing him, which it would kill him but Simon would recover later. The best possibility? Well, Simon could only hope it would happen tonight.

_This is it._

This time around Mr.‒ _Raphael_ wasn’t picking him up and it was better that way because he wanted time to take deep breaths in the taxi and get used to the idea that this was their second date.

_Second date; can you believe it?_

Without wasting more time, he grabbed his phone, his wallet and his keys. One last glance to his outfit and then he was gone to meet with his long-time crush.

 

§§

 

“Lily, this is in way over my head. I shouldn’t be worried about this and when isn't a black suit the best choice? Black is always _in.”_

“This is not in over your head, don’t be overdramatic.” Lily rolled her eyes. Raphael was tempted to do the same but his shaking hands were enough to keep him occupied. "You’ve been in multiples meeting with millions of dollars in the middle and you are telling me that you are nervous about a _date_? Are you for real?” She sounded skeptical, which, _fine,_ those meetings were huge deals.

“In my defense, Simon is a huge deal. And‒” he said, hurriedly before Lily could say something embarrassing about his confession, “he could be the difference.”

“Difference? What do you mean?”

He didn’t turn around, still looking at his reflection in the full-length mirror and thinking that his wine-colored suit was over the top.

“I mean, he could be the one,” he replied nonchalantly, raising a shoulder.

He heard Lily approaching him behind his back. She was reflected in the mirror, sporting a smirk, looking victorious and with her arms crossed.

“Could this be it? Raphael Santiago, business mogul, grumpy cat 24/7, is finally in love?” Her smirk widened “I’m grateful to be part of this life changing moment.”

He rolled his eyes “Shut up.” He muttered, looking down at his cuffs, bringing them down and pulling his blazer to adjust it better to his body.

_Maybe it’s over the top. I should change it_ he thought, grimacing a little.

“That’s not a no and stop thinking your suit is over the top. The main goal here is to impress him and make him think you are a wonderful guy.”

He gasped and turned around. “I am a wonderful guy.”

Lily raised an eyebrow “Don’t get cocky.”

“I’m not. I’m simply stating a fact. Also, I’m not grumpy, I’m a serious person and I don’t have to impress him. This is not a contest.”

“Then why are you wearing a tailored suit that does wonders to your arms?”

He opened his mouth but nothing believable was going to come out, so he clamped it shut and Lily continued.

“And you are wearing a black button-up that makes a great contrast with your suit and brings attention to your hair and eyes.” She cast an appreciative eye over him. “You really thought this through. Tell me, are you worried about this date? Be honest with me and spare me any sarcastic comments.”

He sighed deeply and looked at the ceiling, bracing himself because what he was going to say was going to be the most honest thing he would say within a month.

“I want it to work, Lily. I really like him,” he started in a whisper and then sighed again. “Which is stupid because I don’t know if he is going to accept my sexuality and while I spend every day saying I don’t care about what others say because I’m proud of being asexual, I also can’t ignore the fact that Simon is the one that I want. I want the shy glances, long phone calls, hand-holding, our own jokes, the whole package.”

Lily nodded, encouraging him to keep going.

“But he doesn’t know that. In fact, he doesn’t know much about me, which puts in perspective this whole ordeal but isn’t that the main reason to go on dates? To get to know your, you know, _date_? And, so, I want to know him, really know him; know what he does in his spare time, what makes him smile and laugh, not just his accountant self.” He took a moment to gather his thoughts because if he was going to be honest, he was going to put it all out. “I’m kind of desperate for him to accept me because he makes me _feel_ , you know?” She nodded. “And that’s just a contradicting thought because I just said I don’t care what other people say and Lily, help me because I’m babbling.”

She kept staring at him, blinked twice slowly and like an outburst, she started laughing. Raphael narrowed his eyes.

“This is not funny. You told me to be honest and now‒ Now, I’m feeling attacked.”

She snorted inelegantly while laughing, causing her to laugh louder and it was so loud and so contagious, he found himself laughing with her.

“Stop it. I should be worried, not laughing” he said, with remnants of their laugh attack; he wiped off a tear.

“That’s the thing, _mi amigo,_ ” she said, putting a hand on his neck and delicately brushing a thumb along it. “You shouldn’t be worried about it. This isn’t even your first date and that one went very well.”

“Yes but we weren’t alone. This is more private and what if‒Lily,” he replied, looking at her with worry in his face “what if we kiss? I’m not prepared for that. This is not something they teach us at business school.”

“Raphael, please,” She said, irritated and crossing her arms. “If you two kiss, you just enjoy it but that’s only if you want to and if you feel comfortable about it. We’ve already talked about this.”

“But, Lily,” he whined, “help me out here.”

She shook her head. “We’ve talked about this, we’ve already went through all the possibilities and consequences in every scenario. The worst that could happen is that he doesn’t show up and that’s impossible.”

Raphael raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “I think that could happen, even more if he thinks I’m a ‘grumpy cat 24/7’” he said, making the quotation marks with his fingers.

Lily laughed again and looked at him fondly. “That’s impossible because the guy is already hung up on you. Now, finish your hair and take a deep breath. It’s going to be great and next thing you know, you will have a lovely person to call boyfriend. Okay?”

Raphael nodded, getting the same response from his friend. After that, she was out of his house, leaving him alone with his frayed nerves.

_Okay, maybe you are overreacting and this is not as big as you think it is. Keep calm, Raphael. If everything goes wrong, at least you tried,_ he thought, shrugging a little. Then, he shook his head. _Don’t be pessimistic. Simon will love you and probably you will end up loving him too, so go out there and charm this guy._

He nodded to himself, looking at the mirror. He looked at his hair, fixed it until it was the way he wanted it, took a final look to his outfit and was out of his house to the car that was already waiting for him.

_This is it._

 

§§

 

The moment Simon passed the threshold of the restaurant, he knew there was no turning back. Looking around him, the place was packed and while the restaurant wasn’t _fine cusine_ , everyone was dressed to the nines. It could be the fact that the place was doing a grand opening, so they went all out.

There was a section of the restaurant that was only for photos; he couldn’t help but think that the couple taking their photos could also be him and Raphael.

_Maybe, if everything goes well…_

Because Raphael was an important person, they already had their reservation, which was a good thing considering the amount of people mingling around. The truth was, he didn’t know of the existence of the restaurant until now, so it was really a surprise to know it was so popular.

He greeted the hostess, who led him to their table. The guy smiled at him, gave him the menu and left with promise of a waiter coming to their table to take their request. Fortunately, Raphael wasn’t there yet, which was a good thing because he still had 10 minutes exactly before Raphael showed up.

Simon took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to calm his racing heart. He shouldn’t be nervous, this was the second time. Every little thing that could have gone wrong in the first date didn’t happen and Raphael asked him out this time. Magnus was right.

Suddenly, there was an increase of flashes all around, so he turned around to see who was causing the ruckus.

And _wow._

That was the first thing he thought when he saw Raphael walking with the hostess to their table. He wasn’t a fashion guru, Magnus could attest to that, but that wine-colored suit on his date was the perfect combination and really, it was the first time he saw his boss wearing another color that wasn’t dark blue, dark gray or just simply black.

The point was Raphael Santiago looked stunning.

Even more stunning the moment he turned and looked straight at Simon, smiling softly at him.

If he wasn’t weak and jelly before, he was now.

He stood up once Raphael was near, smiling at him again.

“Did you wait too long?”

“No,” Simon replied, shaking his head. “I’ve only been here for ten minutes.”

Raphael nodded and moved aside to sit across the table but before he could even move the chair, Simon stopped him by touching lightly his shoulder. Raphael turned and raised an eyebrow.

“What is it?”

Simon gave him a little smiled but swallowed his nervousness. Again, his surprise could be a disaster. “Just‒ Let me. Please.”

And without waiting for a response, he grabbed the chair and dragged it backwards until there was enough room for Raphael to sit. He looked up to his date, just to be the witness of a faint blush crossing Raphael’s face, who was watching the chair.

Raphael nodded and briefly looked up. “Thank you,” he said, and took his seat, moving it forward with Simon’s help.

Points for him because for Simon it was clear that he wasn’t the only one dripping with nervousness; he suppressed the smile that he was trying so hard not to let show.

He walked over to his own chair and did the same as Raphael, who was already reading the menu.

“Did you already think about what to order?” Raphael asked, putting the menu down.

Simon shrugged. “I’m leaving that to the expert. That means you.”

Raphael blinked twice and snorted. “The expert? I’m far from that but I’m counting that as a compliment.”

“It is! I promise,” Simon replied, smiling, raising his arms in a defensive manner.

They settled in a comfortable silence while they were deciding what to eat. But the truth was that Simon was thinking about everything but the food. His surprise should come before the food for two reasons: if Raphael didn’t like it, the date could end in that very moment, avoiding any awkwardness. If Raphael did like it, well everything could get better from there.

But he must do it before Raphael could call the waiter.

Simon cleared his throat, bracing himself for what was coming. Raphael looked at him. “Do you remember when I told you that I love singing?” he asked and Raphael nodded. “Well, I was hoping that tonight I could show you my talent.”

Raphael raised an eyebrow and his stare turned suspicious. “Simon, what‒”

“Just let me show you.” Simon cut him off with a raise of his hand.

Simon took a deep breath and stood up. Ever since knowing about the date, he’d called the restaurant to ask about the possibilities of doing what he was going to do. The manager had told him yes and that they were glad their restaurant could be the epicenter of such a thing.

Simon just wanted to make a better impression and what better way to do it with what he knew the best: singing.

He raised an arm and waved at where the manager was waiting to get his signal; the manager raised his thumbs and walked to the kitchen’s door. Knowing that everything was going according to the plan, Simon turned to look at the man of the night, who looked very much distressed.

“Can I know what’s going on?”

“No” Simon replied, with a sly smile “Just wait for it.”

 

§§

 

Raphael was planning to have a peaceful night with someone he really liked. While a part of that hadn’t changed, the peaceful part was off the table, it seemed.

In truth, Raphael wasn’t a pessimistic person, it just that he always thought the worst because it was easier that way to not get any surprises. So, yes, the first thing that crossed his mind when Simon said he had something to show, was that he was outing Raphael, which was impossible‒ Simon didn’t know his _exact_ sexuality. For all Simon could know was that he was bisexual and still, Simon loved singing, not outing people.

_Wait, singing?_

When the realization sank in, Raphael’s eyes widened. “Simon, what are you‒” he started but cut himself off abruptly when he saw eight men walking from the direction Simon was looking; walking towards their table.

Those men had the unmistakable attire of _mariachi_ and each one was holding a different instrument.

_No, this can’t be._

Once those men were behind Simon (a jarring contrast, if Raphael was being honest), he turned around and his smiled widened when his eyes connected with Raphael’s.

_Oh shit._

Raphael turned to look around him and it wasn’t a surprise to see everyone looking at them, at Simon more specifically.

“I know this could seem like too much, I mean we are not officially together, you know? But I wanted you to see the real me, see me doing something I like. Singing.”

Raphael swallowed; this wasn’t his plan at all. “Simon, I think there are better ways to show me.”

But Simon wasn’t having it; he shook his head. “It wouldn’t be the same.”

Raphael was kind of afraid; this was bigger than just dancing in a private thing such as an art gallery. There were so many people that would make their own conclusions. Yes, they weren’t together officially but again, nobody knew that. For the public, they were together, period, and what Simon was about to do, would cement that thought.

That being said, he didn’t know what to think, besides being a little frantic, because Simon was going to serenade him and that was a first. He was equally charmed and afraid. Somewhere along the way, he would decide what to feel but for now, he would wait expectantly.

“I hope you enjoy this, Raphael,” Simon said, still smiling. He turned his head a little over his shoulder to talk to the guys. “I’m ready. Hit it, guys.”

And every guy started playing their instrument at the same time, the classical song to play and serenade to. It was known to every to Mexican people because it was one of the songs to confess their love and if Raphael’s suspicions were correct, that was what Simon was doing: confessing his love in the most classical and romantic way that ever existed.

_“Si nos dejan, nos vamos a querer toda la vida.”_

And very much in Spanish, something he didn’t know Simon knew. Raphael was impressed and he knew his eyes were like saucers. Simon smiled and closed his eyes.

_“Si nos dejan, nos vamos a vivir a un mundo nuevo”_ `

Simon was singing with so much feeling, Raphael almost believed that Simon wanted them to live in a whole new world together. This wasn’t even his favorite song but Raphael could be persuaded just by this.

_“Yo creo que podemos ver el nuevo amanecer de un nuevo día”_ Simon raised a hand and subtley, pointed it at him. _“Yo pienso que tú y yo podemos ser felices todavía.”_

Raphael was still dumbfounded because Simon was _singing to him_ , something that no one had done before and this guy appeared out of nowhere to make him _feel_ and really made him believed he could have a relationship.

Simon opened his eyes. _“Si nos dejan, buscamos un rincón cerca del cielo._ _Si nos dejan, haremos con las nubes terciopelo”_ Simon raised his voice, giving Raphael little shivers, making the song more emotional. Simon smiled again, always keeping his gaze on Raphael. _“Y ahí, juntitos los dos, cerquita de Dios será lo que soñamos.”_

Raphael tried, he really did but couldn’t hold Simon’s gaze any longer. It was _too much_. Maybe Simon didn’t know what those words meant because those meant to stay together forever and did Simon want that, for real? He swallowed and looked up, locking gazes with Simon.

_“Si nos dejan, te llevo de la mano, corazón y ahí nos vamos.”_

Their sudden audience erupted in applause while the _mariachi_ kept playing. Simon smiled, bright and happy and Raphael supposed this was something he’d been planning for days and while he could feel embarrassed because this was a first time, he was charmed. He was being serenaded, for Christ’s sake. Simon went all out to make this a surprise.

Raphael swallowed again and put a hand over his mouth, trying and failing at hiding his smile. He cast a glance at his surrounding and, unsurprisingly, there were a good amount of people taking photos and probably, making videos. His phone would explode tomorrow but it wasn’t a concern right now, the man in front of him bearing his heart was more important.

_“Si nos dejan, buscamos un rincón cerca del cielo. Si nos dejan, haremos con las nubes terciopelo.”_

Somewhere between him looking at the audience and turning back, Simon had closed his eyes again and when he started singing, he opened them up to look straight at Raphael again, never avoiding eye contact so perhaps that way, Raphael could understand was going through Simon’s mind and what he was feeling.

_“Y ahí, juntitos los dos, cerquita de Dios será lo que soñamos. Si nos dejan, te llevo de la mano, corazón y ahí nos vamos.”_

The _mariachi_ sounded louder again, pulling him out of the spell Simon was creating with the song.

_“Si nos dejan, de todo lo demás los olvidamos”_  He smiled once more at Raphael. _“Si nos dejan”_  Simon finished the song along with the _mariachi_ and right away, the audience erupted in applauses louder than the first one.

And this time, he let himself smile, feeling warm all over him, he was sure that he was blushing at the fact that Simon was doing this _for_ him. So, he applauded with all of them. His smile widened once he looked straight at Simon, who was smiling big and bright, with pink cheeks just like him.

Raphael had planned for a peaceful date but this was better.

So much better.

 

§§

 

Alec looked at the photos and then at his camera-man.

“I can’t believe I’m going to say this but they look so good together. What the hell?”

His camera-man, Jake, turned to him with a raised eyebrow. “You say that like it’s a thing out of this world.”

“Well,” he shrugged, “it is. I mean, look at them, they couldn’t be more different and still, Lewis just serenaded him and Santiago is over the moon.”

“Are you feeling guilty now, Lightwood?” Jake asked, bringing his camera back and taking more photos.

He scowled. “What do you mean guilty?”

“You think they look cute now, you want to back out? Keep this under wraps?”

“Not at all. We have a big thing here.”

So maybe he was using this relationship to get juicy stuff for his newspaper and _maybe_ , to get more recognition at his work but the latter wasn’t as important as the _juicy stuff_. There was some truth to him feeling guilty about using them just for his own purposes. But then again, his job was important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meeeean, I had to do this in spanish, okay? There wasn't no other choice. Also, Lily and Raphael brotp? The best one.
> 
> I won't translate the song because come on, what's the point? The message gets lost in translation but the song is pretty intense, so you know Simon was all for declaring his undying love for his boss, that's the important thing ;)
> 
> As you know, I love comments and kudos AND if you have a prompt that is killing you, I voluteer to write it. Hit me up [here](https://iactlikegarfieldonamonday.tumblr.com/ask) or just talk to me. I like talking


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO, SEASON 3, AM I RIGHT?! 
> 
> I'm so excited for the new Malec content and I can't really wait for the next episodes but for those who are rooting for Raphael, well, tough episodes. Because of that, I'm happy to publish this chapter. This is a good one, I promise you.
> 
> I really recommend you guys to read the last few chapters because after these days being MIA, some of you wouldn't even remember the plot for this story . So, a suggestion there.
> 
> This story wouldn't be the same if it wasn't for my lovely [beta](http://wewalkadifferentpath.tumblr.com/). I'm rooting for you too.
> 
> Enjoy, my fellas!

Simon was proud. That was the best concert he’d done so far and the fact that his date liked it, made it so much better. Well, as far as he knew Raphael liked it, if his smile was anything to go by and wasn't out of pity or, worse, him trying to hold in his laughter because Simon was embarrassing himself.

“I have to say, Simon,” Raphael said, bringing him back to the present, “that was a surprise.”

Simon swallowed. “But…?”

Raphael raised a brow. “There is no ‘but.’ I was really surprised, seeing as no one has ever done something like that for me,” he replied, looking down at their food that had come while Simon was singing. Raphael took a deep breath and continued, “In fact, I didn’t know you spoke Spanish so well.”

“Oh, well,” Simon started saying, looking sheepish. “I actually learnt in high school and I want to believe that I was good at it. Did you‒ did you like it?” Simon was trying not to look at Raphael, so his gaze went up and down.

Raphael smiled a little. “I’m surprised and pretty much flattered. You can be confident that I liked it, Simon,” he replied and drank from his drink.

Simon looked up with wide eyes and a smile started growing, big and happy. “I’m glad. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be a good plan, so I spent days practicing because if I was going to fail, well, I was going to fail knowing my lyrics. Go big or go home.”

He winced internally; maybe going for the blunt comments wasn’t the best option.

_Go big or go home? Are you serious, Lewis? God, you are so out practice. Magnus didn’t train you enough._

So, yeah. Even though it was already such a spontaneous date, Simon had still planned to serenade his boss‒ No, at this point it was _pointless_ to call Raphael his boss. Technically, he was still Simon’s boss but this wasn’t the setting for that. Nevertheless, he was proud and immensely glad that he hadn't gotten tacos thrown at him or that Raphael hadn't left in the middle of it.

For that night, he would happily eat his Mexican food with the most beautiful guy in sight.

A good night, for sure.

 

§§

 

Raphael took a bite from his food and after swallowing, he smiled

“It was good, really. I liked it,” Raphael replied. “I knew you liked singing but I didn’t see you as someone who liked that kind of music.”

“Oh, you know,” Simon said, taking a bite from his dish, “I like all kinds of music” He wasn’t looking at Raphael.

Something popped up in Raphael’s mind; he remembered what happened when he asked Simon out and it was quite a show. He shouldn’t say anything about it, avoid any awkward moments, not be an asshole, like both Ragnor and Lily had described him, but this was too good to pass up and anyway, if this was going to move forward, Simon should see all of his facets, asshole included.

That was when he smirked.

 “That’s good,” he started saying, innocently. “You can go from singing _mariachi_ to singing Rihanna. It’s quite impressive.”

His comment had the desired effect. Simon stopped chewing and looked startled but made no comment, so Raphael continued. “Knowing that you have a big repertoire, makes me believe you don’t stay in just one genre and it’s something good. Really,” he took a bite, waiting for Simon to fall into his trap.

Simon nodded slowly. “I have a fairly wide repertoire, yes. You know, there is a lot out there to just stay listening to the same thing, and Rihanna. Rihanna is a great singer, a big one; she has a lot of songs, and good ones, and she doesn’t stay just in R&B, which is something I admire her for.”

Raphael nodded too; Simon looked flustered and he was going to make it worse. “She is quite impressive too and she can manage to sing with everyone,” he smirked again,” don’t you think?”

Simon nodded slowly, looking lost but made no comment.

“In fact,” Raphael said, putting both of his arms up on the table, “she can make you dance when nobody is around.”

Simon blinked and stopped chewing altogether. “Are you‒” he cut himself off abruptly when everything Raphael was implying sank in. “Oh my god. I’m‒ did you see all of that? I’m‒” he put both his hands over his eyes and shook his head.

“I did. It was quite‒”

“I don’t get wild thoughts when I’m with you.”

Both of them stopped abruptly, letting that comment fill the silence.

Raphael shook his head. “What?” He stared at Simon, waiting for a reply.

Simon’s cheeks started getting cherry red and he was looking anywhere but at Raphael. “Shit. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Laughter started bubbling in his chest and Raphael tried with all his will to not let it out but it was hard, making him snort. Simon turned to him sharply and Raphael raised a hand. “Sorry. That was uncalled for. What I was going to say is that it was good to see you dancing while no one was watching,” he shrugged, “and with the other thing, well, that would be awkward.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well,” Raphael started, dropping his gaze and avoiding Simon’s, “long story short, sex is not on my priority list right now.”

Raphael dared to look up at Simon, who was looking at him with wide eyes.

“Are we really talking about sex right now? Isn’t that a little too fast?”

Raphael opened up his mouth but closed it right away. That wasn’t how he saw this conversation going.

“That came out wrong,” Raphael mumbled, dragging a hand across his forehead, “so wrong.”

“Do you see us going that far? I mean, I wouldn’t reject you but you know, there are steps for that and I think we are not there yet but it’s my opinion and I would‒”

“Simon,” Raphael started, raising a hand to stop Simon’s rambling and stopping this conversation from getting even more awkward. “I’m asexual.”

Simon didn’t reply, just gaped at him.

_Well, this is getting worse._

“Okay,” Simon said slowly, “this took a surprise turn.” He took his glass and drank until it was empty.

Raphael looked down and suppressed the need to drag a hand through his hair. If he was going to get rejected that night, he might as well still look good while doing so. _A surprise turn_ was an understatement; he’d basically blurted his sexuality just like that, without thinking, without stopping for a second to think _would Simon still like me._ Of course, he'd been planning on telling him but that was going to be in the near future, not on the _fucking second date._

“Well, I wasn’t expecting this but it’s good to know.”

“If you are going to be awful about it just save it. Stand up and leave.” Raphael knew he sounded tired; he wasn’t in the mood to hear the guy he liked spill awful things about his sexuality. He didn’t look up, just moved his hand to shoo him away.

“Leave? What are you talking about?” Simon almost gasped.

This time, Raphael looked up with wide eyes.

“I’m not leaving.” Simon smiled “I’m not leaving _you._ I would be crazy if I stepped out of this restaurant.”

Raphael blinked twice slowly, not quite believing what he was hearing because, frankly, he was expecting to eat his tacos alone.

“You are not leaving?”

Simon shook his head. “I mean, yeah, you took me by surprise but it’s not something that freaked me out. I…” he trailed off and shrugged “I still like you.”

“But you‒ Simon, do you know what that means?” Raphael looked at him intently, and without waiting for a response, he continued “I may never be interested in sex and you should know that if we get to be official.”

“Like you said, sex is not a priority right now” Simon said, echoing what Raphael had said earlier. He shrugged. “I’m fine with it.”

“No, it’s not,” Raphael conceded, nodding, “but it’s important that you know that before you get your hopes up and think there’s going to be a first time.”

Simon nodded but kept silent and Raphael took that as an opportunity to continue. “I…” He nodded and swallowed, encouraging himself to keep going.  “For me to get to that level of intimacy, I need to be comfortable with you, you know, _know_ you better and of course you have to know me well too. I need a connection. I may never feel comfortable and get physical, maybe I will. That depends on how this” he moved his hand in a circle motion between them “works out at the end.”

Simon nodded again. “I won’t pressure you, Raphael Like I said, I’m fine with it. If it happens, well, it happens. It’s not something I keep in mind all the time.” He shrugged. “What matters to me is that you feel comfortable enough to take that step and anyway, that would be long into the future. In the meantime, I just want to date you and do what other couples do.”

Raphael bit his lip but it wasn’t enough to contain the smile that was begging to come up. _What other couples do_ , that would be nice and he would gladly do that with someone like Simon, someone that already accepted him from the get go, someone that would wait if he was ready, _certain_ about them.

He shook his head. “I swear this wasn’t my plan for tonight. I was _aiming_ for a quiet night and you did this instead.”

Simon laughed instead. “I was _aiming_ to make a better impression than the ones before and bringing back my Spanish lessons seemed like a good idea at the time.”

Raphael nodded but didn’t reply.

“Also, now that we are getting honest here,” Simon waved a finger over his face. “I’m pansexual, that means that I don’t mind your gender. As for your sexuality, I don’t mind. I’m open with all kinds of sexualities. So,” he hit the table with his open palm softly, “regardless of your gender or your sexuality and as long as you still want me here, I’ll be sitting here with you, falling for you every minute that passes by.

Raphael gaped at him for a solid minute but then chuckled and raised his glass. “Well, that’s good to know,” he said, ignoring how warm his cheeks felt.

They smiled at each other; by now Raphael didn’t care about the goofy smile he was sporting at the moment. He could have a goofy smile just as long as Simon was smiling like that at him too.

They continued eating in a comfortable silence. Even thought he was happy that Simon had accepted all of him, there was something that was nagging him at the back of his mind.

_“I don’t get wild thoughts when I’m with you.”_

It shouldn’t bother him. In fact, it should weird him out that someone would think of him that way and frankly, he had never experienced that situation but the possibility that the guy that he was falling for would think of Raphael like that, well, it made him feel _desired._

Raphael pursed his lips. He hadn’t thought of Simon like that and now he was expecting for Simon to do it? It was all kinds of illogical but he couldn’t let the thought go away.

He looked at his plate, fighting with himself if he should ask or not.

“This is really good. Would you‒”

“Don’t you get wild thoughts when you're with me?”

Silence again.

Raphael grimaced; now he was the one to blurt things like that but it was done, might as well face the consequences.

He looked up and‒ well, what he found was unexpected.

Simon was looking at him with wide eyes. Raphael blinked but made no movement, afraid to startle his date.

Suddenly, Simon’s cheeks were getting redder and redder, and he started opening and closing his mouth until he gave up and looked down to his plate to keep eating. It was subtle but there was a single nod and that was it. No words.

Raphael smiled and bit his lip. Now that that was cleared off, he continued eating.

 

§§

 

Magnus got inside his house, going straight to his living room and‒ yup, there he was. He could always be sure that Ragnor would be there, pestering him in his house and filling it with that awful smell of herbal tea.

Magnus stopped mid-step when the smell was really strong. “I hate that you do this every day and that god-awful smell…” He would've taken a deep breath, but that forsaken smell could kill him. “But I’m going ignore it, or try to ignore it, because there’s a more important matter.”

Ragnor looked at him over the rim of his cup. He took a sip and then, and then, calm as could be, he placed it on top the little plate he had in his other hand and then over to the coffee table. Ragnor took his sweet time to clear his throat, crossed his legs, one over the other, leaned his back against the backseat of the sofa and looked at Magnus again.

Magnus raised an eyebrow. “Really? Took you that long? I’m not getting younger.”

“What is it this time that you are making a fuss over?” Ragnor asked, completely ignoring Magnus’ complaint.

“Long story short, I got an allergic reaction and Alec took me to his apartment‒ No, don’t look at me like that. Nothing happened, I mean, nothing _sexual_ happened. We kissed and while that could be considered important, it’s not urgent. I think Alexander is the brother of one of my old clients and, fuck, Ragnor, New York should be big enough for this to not happen.” Magnus ended his story while pacing the living room, back and forth. He turned to look at Ragnor.

Ragnor uncrossed his legs and opened his mouth but closed it and pressed his lips tightly. He tried again. “Wait, did you and Slushie Date kiss?”

“Ragnor!” Magnus said, exasperated.

Ragnor raised his arms in a placating move. “I’m just prioritizing here. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“Well, yes but that was before I knew he was so close to my job.”

Ragnor nodded slowly. “Who is the client?”

“Huh?” Magnus asked, dumbly, stopping his pacing and looked rather lost at what his friend was asking. He’d been so sure this wouldn’t happen again.

“Calm down and focus. Who is the client?”

Magnus breathed deeply, almost gagging at the smell. “You really need to burn those tea bags.” Ragnor raised an eyebrow expectantly. “Anyway, do you remember Jace Wayland?”

“How could I not? I still believe his hair was dyed. No one can be that _blonde._ And he was your longest job.”

Magnus nodded. “He was a challenge because Maia Roberts was a tough one. But anyway, Jace is Alexander’s brother.”

Ragnor didn’t reply right away; he stood up and took his cup of tea and walked to the kitchen and while doing so, he asked “So, what’s the problem?”

“The problem, my obtuse friend, is that he could tell Alec about my job and I’m in no hurry to fuck this up, whatever this is,” Magnus replied, following said obtuse friend.

“Don’t you think he would have already done that? I mean, come on, Magnus that was a while ago.” Ragnor turned around and leaned against the sink.

“Yeah but what if he tells Alexander? What if it happens again? I really want us to work out.”

Ragnor shrugged. “You told me not to worry about it, now I’ll tell you the same thing. You said the Lightwood boy wouldn’t mind your job.”

“I know what I said. Is that… He asked me how I met Simon. I think he has an idea,” Magnus replied, crossing his arms and furrowing his brows.

Ragnor nodded and walked closer to Magnus. “I just met him once, Simon Lewis, and from the brief conversation I know that I can trust him, just as I know that he is good for Raphael.”

“I know that too, that’s why I keep trying with Simon,” Magnus replied, nodding.

“And while Wayland boy was way too cocky, I know he hasn’t said a thing. Not to his brother, at least. So, calm down” Ragnor reassured him, putting a hand over Magnus’ shoulder and squeezing it lightly.

Magnus nodded and sighed deeply again, willing himself to calm down and forget the whole thing. Ragnor was right and nothing so far had happened, so he would just relax and keep remembering his first kiss with Alexander.   

 

§§

 

All in all, the date was a success, Raphael could agree with that. But now that they were in his car, on his way to Raphael’s house, there was this ever present memory of his conversation with Lily: his new-found want to kiss Simon.

He glanced at his side where Simon was seated and looking down at his hands, not even trying to make eye contact. After so many meetings, he knew that posture: Simon was nervous, just like Raphael, but he wasn’t sure if it was for the same reason.

Raphael sighed deeply and looked up at the car ceiling; maybe it could give him the strength for this. He was nervous again, so nervous that he was even considering if it was worth it this entire struggle. He turned to his side where Simon was already looking at him.

Both smiled at each other and turned back to their musings.

Raphael sighed deeply again. It wasn’t even like it was his first kiss, he had already gone through that kind of stress and frankly, he shouldn’t be thinking this much. He knew the mechanics, he knew _how to kiss_ but this was Simon, someone that had already accepted him from the start and if that was their start, then a kiss would cement what a wonderful relationship they could have.

_If only I could stop thinking so much._

The car stopped just outside his building. Raphael closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

Simon was out of the car and rounded it to stop at Raphael’s side, and opened it. He sighed again and was out too with Simon’s help.

They both fell into step towards the stairs that lead to Raphael’s apartment building. Both of them were silent, again, and wasn’t that amazing?

So much for making it smooth like he wanted. _Honestly._ He willed himself not to roll his eyes at himself. Raphael had already accepted that he wanted this, he wanted Simon, so he should just go for it and hope for the best.

_Stop being careful._

Raphael turned his head to his side where Simon was already looking and smiled a little.

 “Good food, huh?” Simon asked, bringing Raphael back from his musings.

There was a tremor in his voice, Simon was nervous and now that he really looked, Simon was fidgeting even more.

Raphael nodded but didn’t reply as they climbed the stairs until they were at the door.

Okay, so maybe he was nervous too and he really needed a second if the kiss turned out to be a disappointment.

They looked at each other for a minute and then their gazes drifted to anywhere else. Raphael pulled out his set of keys and started fiddling with them.

_This is ridiculous, honestly. Like, if you want it, just take it. He is there Just. Move._

Raphael glanced at Simon who was looking at his own hands, at his keys more exactly; Raphael looked back down to his hands.

 _If he says he wants to go in, I might combust._ Raphael looked back again

Simon’s head snapped up and his eyes were wide, he look almost frightened and Raphael was sure Simon’s nervous demeanor increased.

“Yes, well. Okay, good night,” Simon said, hurriedly. He turned around and climbed down the stairs as fast as he had spoken.

Raphael opened his mouth, ready to stop Simon from running away but swallowed whatever he had planned on saying. Maybe he misunderstood the whole thing and Simon really wanted to go slow, like really slow; maybe Simon wanted to make sure he wanted it.

 _Which it’s ridiculous because here I am, standing, waiting for him to do it._ He turned around and sighed deeply, moving his hand up to open his door. _Well, was waiting._

He shook his head a little; maybe it wasn’t the night for that. He should just forget it and‒

 “Wait!” he heard someone shout.

Raphael turned around to see Simon throwing away his inhaler- _since when does he even use one?-_  and walking over him with determined steps, confident even. Simon climbed back up the steps and he stopped in front of Raphael. He took a deep breath, puckered his lips and closed his eyes.

Raphael stared at those lips for a solid minute, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do. After processing that Simon was offering a kiss, he almost snorted, mostly at himself for freaking out. Raphael smiled, looked at those lips and took the offer.

At first, it was just them brushing their lips, tentative; exploring what it could be defined as unexplored territory. So far, Raphael was enjoying these new lands.

Then, Simon dragged his hands over Raphael’s hips so slowly and delicately, Raphael didn’t notice until he felt the tug, pulling him closer to Simon, deepening the kiss.

He sighed into the kiss; he didn’t know why he was thinking too much when there wasn’t anything to think about. Kissing Simon was just like falling in love with him: slow at first but oh so worth it later.

Simon moved his head a little and‒ oh. _Oh._ He didn’t know a kiss could move from good to perfect but Simon was proving that Raphael’s theories were all wrong, not that he was complaining. There were no complaints.

For his part, Raphael moved his hands up, putting one over Simon’s shoulder and the other one, over his heck, caressing Simon’s jaw gently. That was where he heard, or more like felt, Simon’s sigh of content.

But because their air supply was limited, they pulled back. Raphael was the first one to open his eyes, something he hadn't even been aware of until now, just in time to see Simon smiling a little before opening his eyes.

They smiled at each other again, both of them sporting a faint rosy color on their cheeks.

“I hate to say this but I have to go,” Simon said, biting his lips “Can I call you tomorrow?”

Raphael just nodded, not quite finding the right words to say.

Simon moved again, looking directly at Raphael’s eyes. Before Raphael could think of something to say, Simon was pressing his lips against Raphael’s cheek and kissed it.

 “Good night, Raphael,” Simon murmured against his ear and as fast it had happened, Simon stepped back, smiled at him big and bright and climbed down the stairs.

Once again, he didn’t have the right words, so he just turned around and went inside of the building. Inside, he leaned back against the door and touched his cheek, dragging his fingers along it and over his lips. He bit his bottom lip, trying hard not to smile. He shook his head.

_Fuck, I’m whipped._

Raphael smiled, big and bright this time.

Well, he wouldn’t fight it.

 

§§

 

Magnus was entering his living room when he heard his business phone ringing, alerting him of a new message. He grabbed it to see a stranger number, his new possible client.

_“Hi, someone recommended me and I really need your services. I’ll wait for you at the zoo, near the entrance. I really hope you can help me.”_

Magnus replied, agreeing with his new client and sending a time, never wondering why the message was so vague. He was already used to it.

Magnus smiled a little. Now that he knew Simon was almost on his way to being happy, Magnus could provide his services for someone else.

Everything was going excellently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos keep me alive and well :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This wouldn't be possible without my wonderful [beta](http://wewalkadifferentpath.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> Enjoy!

Alec went directly to Lydia’s office once he entered the newspaper’s building. Today was the day he when would finally discover who this "love doctor" was who’d been helping Simon Lewis all along. Nothing would be more satisfying than exposing this person and stopping him from helping people like Charles Baker and the like, people that didn’t care for feelings; Clary was the proof of that.

In all fairness, he knew it wasn’t his business. Clary was a grown woman and he shouldn’t be messing up with her personal life but just the thought of this guy leaving her without so much as an explanation and then finding out it was all because of a supposed “love expert” or whatever, it made his blood boil. So, he would expose him, no turning points.

There, in Lydia’s office, was Lydia herself, Luke, Clary, Jake his cameraman and John their intern and, currently, scapegoat.

Luke, Lydia and Clary were in the middle of an intense discussion that was mostly about what Alec had planned to for that day.

“Alec, you need to drop this,” Lydia said, or more like ordered, when she realized Alec was in her office.

He looked at her, hard and without wavering, then turned to look at his cameraman and the intern.

“Ready?” Alec asked and both of them nodded.

“Alec!”

He gazed at Lydia, who was looking worried and her arms were crossed. “What?”

“Stop this nonsense. This stopped being professional ages ago. This looks personal and you know I don’t like this. Just drop it,” she ordered again, her gaze hardening.

“Alec, you don’t know what you are doing. Stop and think for a minute what this could cause for Simon or Raphael” Luke noted when nothing Lydia said was making a difference.

“If I don’t do it, this “love doctor” is going to keep _this_ nonsense up. Keep helping people to fuck others and leave them,” Alec replied, throwing a glance to Clary who visibly stiffened.

“I’m old enough to know this was just a hook up, Alec. You don’t have to make this big of a deal” she said, mirroring Lydia’s stance.

“This is not only for you, Clary. What if this Simon Lewis is the same as Charles Baker and he is just waiting to fuck over Santiago?”

Luke made a _pfff_ sound and looked at Alec like he was crazy. “Are you out of your mind? Alec, Simon is nothing but a gentleman.”

“Yeah, he is a sweetheart. I don’t know if we’re “judging” the same Simon Lewis,” Clary said, siding with Luke.

“And Santiago is a powerful, intelligent man,” Luke continued, crossing his arms, “Don’t you think he would already know if Simon is doing something sketchy?”

“With a face like that, it would be easy for Lewis to pretend that he is infatuated”

Everyone groaned but Alec wouldn’t change his mind. Lewis was into something sketchy, he was getting help from someone else _for Christ sake,_ from a supposed “love doctor” and who would even let themselves be called that? No, scratch that. Who would even have that kind of job?

Lydia turned around to his desk and turned back with the newspaper in her hands. 

“I want you to tell me if this looks fake to you,” she demanded, almost throwing it at Alec.

Alec looked at it; the first time he thought that they looked good but now, the only thing that he could think was that Lewis was on his way to fuck over Santiago and leave him, just like Charles did with Clary because that was this what love doctor did for a living.

He shrugged. “I really don’t care. I’m going to do this, whether you all like it or not. John,” he called, turning to the intern, “did you send the message?”

John nodded. “I told them to meet me at the zoo entrance and they told me to be there at 10 am sharp.”

Alec nodded in return. “Perfect, let’s go then.” He would end this today.

He turned around and was halfway out of the office when Luke spoke.

“Alec, please think about this. You may be making a mistake.”

Alec stopped and looked at his boss over his shoulder. “Do you know something that I should know about?” Luke averted his gaze and shook his head. “Then let me do my job.”

Without anyone stopping him, he left with his cameraman and the intern in tow.

 

§§

 

They finally arrived at the zoo, waiting for the “love doctor” to appear. Jake was already with his camera, looking through the lens where John was waiting too, near the entrance.

Alec was with his back turned to John, trying not to turn, just waiting for Jake to let him know that the love doctor had arrived. Frankly, he was feeling off about the whole thing and he couldn’t really pinpoint _why_. There was a little voice in his head telling him something was wrong or something wrong was going to happen and maybe that was really the reason as to why he didn’t want to turn around.

But he wouldn’t back out now, he _needed_ to know who this person was and at this point, it was for personal reasons. Alec was tired of douchebags screwing over other people who were fantasizing about making a relationship out of it, and knowing that there was _someone_ helping these scumbags out, made his skin prickle with fury.

Because Alec had also been part of those people who fantasized over a relationship; the guy he’d been falling over, had turned out to be someone who just wanted the sex and the minute he’d gotten it, the guy had left leaving Alec devastated.

“So, you are really going to do this, huh?” Jake inquired, still looking through the lens.

Alec turned to look at him with a furrowed brow. “Did you think I was bluffing?”

Jake shrugged, making a non-committal sound. “Maybe.”

Alec huffed and crossed his arms. Maybe it wasn’t a thought-out plan but it would work, even when Lydia didn’t approve of it.

“I mean,” Jake continued, filling the silence, “I thought it was just a joke, because why would you obsess over someone who is likely a nobody?”

“This _nobody_ , as you say, has a connection with Raphael Santiago and someone that important wouldn’t mingle with non-important people. That’s why I still don’t get how Simon is in this mix.”

“Yeah, but‒” Jake shrugged again, “is it really worth it?”

Alec opened his mouth, ready to reply but he just hung it there open with no answer because all the way up to this point, he had never asked himself this question.

_Is it really worth it?_ He thought _well, of course it is._

“I’m doing this for a good reason,” Alec said instead.

“I’m sure it is,” Jake agreed, “I’m just saying that doing all of this is a little bit too much.”

Alec raised both his brows and looked at Jake expectantly, intensely waiting for his cameramen to turn. When it happened, Jake looked guilty and shook his head.

“I’m not saying that what happened to Clary was pretty. It was an asshole-y thing to do; I can’t think of a good reason to leave her‒” Alec kept his brows raised and this time, there was an amused smile on his lips at the implication of this. Jake rolled his eyes. “Or any other woman. All I’m saying is that you won’t wipe out all of the douchebags in this city by doing this.”

“Well,” he shrugged and waved aimlessly to the zoo, “this is a good start.”

As much as it pained him to say it, Jake was right but Alec was convinced this was a good way to start as any other and if he had to drag both Simon and Raphael Santiago to get to this “love doctor” so be it. A little part of him felt guilty that he would expose Santiago’s private life but again, his job was important.

_This is important_ he thought, convincing him even more that this was the right way to do this.

“Let’s not get deep with it, just tell me if this person is here.”

“Well,” Jake started, looking again through the lens, “I don’t think John is flirting with this guy, so I would say we have our love doctor.”

Alec looked again at him expectantly, waiting for Jake to describe him.

“He is tall, he has his hair up and wears make-up” he started, pausing for a moment to catch more details “he is Asian and has tan skin. Also, if my eyes don’t deceive me, I think he has nails done.”

Alec hummed, taking it all in and trying to imagine how this person would look in his head.

 “Let me see,” he asked, after a moment, letting Jake hand him the camera.

Alec looked through the lens where John was talking to another man who matched Jake’s description. He looked more intently to see the face and‒

_Magnus._

The fucking love doctor was Magnus, the guy who Alec was falling for, hard and fast.

_The guy who is currently helping every dirtbag in this city._

Alec lowered the camera slowly, letting his discovery sink in. Letting anger take over his disappointment and heartbreak, because focusing on that anger, of being lied to was easier than thinking he just lost another guy he saw himself being in a relationship with.

Alec handed back the camera and turned around fast to leave, his anger eating him inside with every passing moment and that would be his fuel throughout the day. He was ready to end this nonsense.

 

§§

 

Magnus looked at his client. He was feeling off about this whole encounter but still he continued talking because he was a professional and he wouldn’t let a client down just because he was feeling _something._

His client, John, kept talking about the girl he met a few weeks ago when his gaze wandered to a bench near the inside of the zoo, a few feet away from where they were standing near the entrance.

Magnus saw how a man was leaving the zoo the other way and left another man who was holding a camera and right in that moment, the guy took a picture of Magnus and his client.

All his sirens were on that he had to leave in that moment. He turned back to his client.

“I’m sorry but I have to cut this short. Have a good day,” Magnus said with a polite smile and without waiting for a reply, he turned around and left.

His _feelings_ were right. The whole encounter had been odd. Even though all his clients were vague about their meetings, nothing had thrown him off as much as this one had.

Maybe he was paranoid but he had to leave that zoo, his job could be compromised.

He walked faster, hoping that Ragnor would be there and would disperse all of his worries and everything would be fine by the time Alec got to his apartment.

 

§§

 

After he left the photos and the draft he would publish the day after, Alec went straight to Magnus’ apartment. He would make Magnus feel the embarrassment of being lied to and he would feel pride afterwards.

He walked to the building and after the front desk guy let him in, with Magnus’ approval, he went up. The elevator stopped at Magnus’ floor and with determined steps, he went to the door and knocked.

The door opened immediately to reveal a smiling Magnus; the anger came back full force but Alec didn’t let it show, he smiled rather forcefully. Magnus, still smiling, moved aside to let Alec in.

“So, we are eating in, huh? That’s a different setting, that’s for sure,” Alec said, trying to sound smooth but he knew he sounded bitter.

He heard the door being closed and Magnus walked behind him and walked past him until he was standing in front of Alec.

“Don’t worry, I have it all covered.” Magnus puckered his lips in a clear attempt to kiss him but Alec turned around and gasped knowing it sounded fake.

“Italian wine?” he asked with a high voice and turned around to see Magnus approaching him. “How thoughtful are we?”

Magnus chuckled. “Let me open it for you,” he outstretched his arms to grab it but Alec move them away.

“No, no,” he tsked. He turned and grabbed a wine glass where the wine was. Alec started filling up the glass. “Want some?” Alec asked glancing up for a minute.

“Sure,” Magnus said slowly, not sounding so sure.

Alec didn’t care about it; he just filled it up and gave it to the lying bastard.

“So, Magnus Bane. _Bane,_ is that a verb or a noun?” he asked with a clipped tone.

Magnus raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure? I guess that depends.”

Alec hummed, not giving a single thought about the weird question. He just wanted to throw Magnus off and expose him in his own home, humiliate him just like he has been doing this whole time to others and to him.

“What should we toast to?” Alec asked, still in that bitter tone.

Magnus opened his mouth to close it again, clearly lost at the abrupt change of topics.

Alec tried not to smile smugly. This was his goal: make him lost so when the moment came when he could make his final blow, Magnus wouldn’t see it coming.

Magnus glanced at him back at him. “Let’s see,” he raised his hand that was holding the wine glass and Alec did the same, “never lie, steal, cheat, or drink.”

Alec bit back any retort about that promise. How could his man have the nerve to make a toast to never lie when that was his job? Lie to everyone.

“But it you must lie,” Magnus continued, “lie in the arms of the one you love. If you must steal, steal away from bad company. If you must cheat, cheat death and if you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away” he finished, looking intently at Alec without his gaze wavering.

Alec was not even close to being impressed. He let out a mocking little laugh and raised an eyebrow. “Did you just make that up?”

Magnus opened his mouth slowly, clearly looking for something to say but before he could even utter a word, Alec was chugging the bottle of wine without any reserve, not caring at all at this point. He kept looking at Magnus while he kept drinking; he made a sound of approval and with the other hand that was still holding the wine glass, he pointed with a finger to the bottle so Magnus could know that the wine was good.

He put both the glass and the bottle down wherever he saw fit and hummed again.

“Make yourself at home,” he heard Magnus say but it didn’t sound happy anymore.

_Good. It’s time for you to get with the program._

“I’m going to… To check on the risotto.” Magnus didn’t sound so sure at this point and from Alec’s view that was excellent.

He turned around and there on the glass coffee table of the living room, was a tablet showing different options like lights, music and TV, much like a universal remote but upgraded.

 “Oh my,” he said without bothering to turn down the fakeness in his voice even a little bit. “I wonder what this would do,” he said, sounding amazed. He touched the one that said music and started playing something more upbeat. He glanced at Magnus who clearly looked at a loss with the situation.

Alec didn’t care. He touched another option, the one that said lights. “The lights too?” he asked, sounding impressed but he knew it was fake and from the looks of it, Magnus already caught that too.

“Maybe I should help you with that,” Magnus said, sounding nervous while walking towards Alec and stretching an arm out to get the tablet.

“Now this,” Alec started, waving the tablet in the air, “this fits.”

Magnus lowered his arm and furrowed his brows. “What are you doing?”

“How does it work, exactly?” Alec asked abruptly.

Magnus turned around and went to the table “Usually, you have dinner and then you have dessert,” he said, his voice laced with sarcasm.

Alec laughed but it was mockery. “No, no. I mean your thriving business” he replied and dropped his pretense.

Magnus opened his mouth again, looking confused but then it seemed that he had finally caught with the situation at hand and understanding showed on his face, along with disappointment.

“I don’t do interviews” he replied at last.

Alec raised both his eyebrows and looked at Magnus expectantly, waiting to see if this would be enough to make him say something.

Magnus pursed his lips and shrugged subtly; he turned around and went back to the kitchen counter to keep doing whatever he was planning for them to eat.

“But if you are planning to get back to the dinner, I would be more than happy to sit and talk,” he said without looking up.

“Great idea. You start” Alec replied and took a sit over the sofa that was behind him.

“Maybe I would if you weren’t snarling” Magnus bit back, emphasizing in the last word.

Alec laughed again, sounding forced, fake even. He took a look at the centerpiece of the coffee table where there was an arrangement of different types of vegetables like carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and asparagus. Alec took a bunch of broccoli and cauliflower and stood up. He sighed, getting ready for what he was going to do; he looked at where Magnus was seasoning the salad.

Alec moved forward with slow steps. “What if I told you that I know exactly‒” he threw one that landed on the wall besides Magnus, startling him who looked up surprised “what you do‒” he threw another one “and how you do it?” another one “and I think it’s despicable” another one but this time Magnus raised the lid of the bowl he was using for the salad and used it as a shield.

“You know what?” Magnus asked while grabbing the bowl; Alec kept throwing the vegetables, “We might need to go out for dinner.”

“Yeah!” Alec bit back, at this point sounding as mad as he felt. “There’s this awesome Italian restaurant that I would like to take you to,” he said, accompanying his retort with a choking sound, clearly remembering what happened on their second date.

Magnus gasped, sounding offended. “So you can be a show-off with your _Italian skills?_ No thank you!”

This time, Alec was the one who gasped and looked even madder. “Maybe I will!” he shouted and threw another cauliflower.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Magnus asked, ducking when another broccoli was on its way.

“Getting the story the front page wants to hear!” Alec replied, throwing another one.

“Oh, so that’s what this is all about?” Magnus sounded skeptical but not impressed. “Simon and Raphael being in your crappy newspaper?” This time, Magnus fought back, throwing a handful of his salad at Alec.

Alec gasped. “That’s thanks to you!” another broccoli.

“Don’t you dare put this on me when you’re the one _obsessed._ ” Magnus threw more salad.

“You are right. Lewis did it, the minute he called you.” The last vegetables were thrown at Magnus.

Magnus nodded, looking exasperated. He threw away the lid, held the bowl with both hands and threw all its content to Alec. Alec’s hands were now full of green leaves and all his anger was over for now, now all he was feeling was disappointment

Magnus threw the bowl too, looking disappointed himself. “You know where the door is. Get the hell out of my house.”

“Don’t need to tell me twice. I can’t stand the fact that I’m here with someone who lied their way up,” Alec snarled.

Without thinking more on the subject, he turned around and walked to the front door, shutting it closed with a slam.

Before he could leave, he heard the moment glass was thrown against a wall, the pieces crashing down against the floor.

Alec sighed again, feeling somewhat free.

But he didn’t know that he would regret this night later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, secret is out!  
> I promise you guys that next chapter won't be better. I'm just honest
> 
> Let's see how long I take to update :) 
> 
> Comments are always welcome in this house


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DIDN'T ABANDON THIS FIC, I SWEAR! 
> 
> I had some issues and it was impossible for me to update but the good news is that this fic is MOSTLY DONE! I'm currently writing chapter 19, so maybe this will end at chapter 21 and then the epilogue? We'll see but I promise you guys that you will read the end of this fic.
> 
> Lowkey, my beta is also waiting for the end, so I can't let her down. My beta is the best and this wouldn't be the same if it wasn't for her. Thank you, bby!

**_Love doctor or money hungry?_ **

**_Ever wonder how that socially awkward colleague got a lover? How so suddenly they are in a relationship out of nowhere? And more importantly, how they got confidence and a better taste in fashion out of thin air?_ **   
  
**Many would think 'well, maybe they learnt how to do better' and this journalist would think the same too, if it wasn't for the fact that it's all fake.**  
  
**There is no miracle, no pills, and no "sudden realization." No, if your colleague is suddenly confident and already on their way to marriage, that's because they had a counselor or how he loves to be called: love doctor.**  
  
**It sounds like a professional but trust me, he's not.**  
  
**Just so you readers can get an idea, ever wonder how Simon Lewis got his opportunity with business mogul Raphael Santiago? That's right: Mr. Lewis has been getting his sessions from this love doctor to charm his way to the businessman.**  
  
**It's so tragic to say that what seemed to be a blossoming romance between these two was just a set up.**  
  
**From what I could gather from my sources, Simon Lewis works as an accountant at Santiago Inc. Yes, Lewis work for Santiago, so it isn't very shocking that he developed a crush for his boss. What is shocking is that this romance was out of nowhere.**  
  
**My sources can confirm that Lewis had NEVER engaged in a conversation with Santiago, so that leads to the question: _how did Lewis manage to get Santiago to go out with him?_**

 ** _Well, easy. Lewis called this "love doctor," to help him out, so everything that had happened has happened all because of this supposed expert in love. Is their romance fake? Maybe not for Santiago but for Lewis it certainly is._**  
  
**An expert that uses his real job as a consultant for big companies to get people to buy his services as a "love doctor," an expert that goes by the name Magnus Bane. This is a man that doesn't care about who is asking for his services, as long as he gets paid, he would do the impossible to get the one you most desired.**  
  
**Even if that means just a hook up.**  
  
**So, readers, if you know someone that has the same story as Lewis, now you know who they called to get their happily ever after.**  


  
Raphael read the whole article again and again, not believing what was written in the newspaper. His hands were shaking; his private life was once again in the open for everyone to judge. Nobody batted an eye for his subtle coming out but this? This was another story.  
  
But more importantly, was everything a lie? Did Simon set the whole thing up? Could he even call it a relationship at this point?  
  
_Five years in business school and building an empire to end up being lied to like this? Am I really that pathetic?_  
  
His eyes wandered to a photo where Simon was standing, singing to Raphael and he was sporting a lovesick look. That wasn't fake to him; Raphael was starting to really like Simon but was it real for Simon?  
  
He looked again at the photo of Magnus, with the entrance of the zoo in the background. He had never met the guy, so he could really believe that it was all money for him.  
  
Maybe not. Raphael didn't know anything at this point.  
  
What was real was that he and Simon had never really hung out or talked before all of this, so this "love doctor" thing wasn't so far-fetched.  
  
His office's door busted open and someone walked in; Raphael didn't look, already knowing who the owner of those determined steps was. He kept looking at the article, trying to gain a miniscule hope that it was just a journalist making all that up.  
  
"Tell me this is all lies or at least tell me that you knew Simon was doing this," Lily asked with a pleading voice.  
  
He shrugged, still not looking up. "I really don't know, Lily. I'm as lost as you are."  
  
"Are you going to do something?"  
  
"What? Make a scene?" he asked, looking up with a raised brow "I don't think that's the right call."  
  
She raised both her brows. "Do you really want to pull your sarcastic attitude? Right now?"  
  
"I'm not..." he trailed off and deflated, not seeing the point of keeping that train of thought. He sighed heavily "What do you want me to say? That he lied to me? That maybe this Lightwood guy is right and whatever this "blossoming romance" is, is a set up? I don't know, Lily."  
  
"Call him," Lily said after a beat of silence.  
  
"Who? Lightwood?"  
  
"No, of course not. Simon; call him and you can clear this up."  
  
Raphael snorted and stood up. "So he can lie to me by phone? I think I have enough humiliation to last me the whole day."  
  
He walked to the cart drink cart. Today was perfect for a strong drink. Raphael still remembered their dinner, two nights ago and it was perfect; it wasn't what he had expected, not at all and then came Simon and serenaded him, out of all the things he could have done, he chose the cheesiest one and Raphael loved it, every second of it. Then, the kiss. _Fuck_ , the kiss; he was so nervous, a freaking mess and Simon just dove in, and Raphael couldn't have thought of a better way to end the night.  
  
That was why it was so bittersweet now knowing what was down, what Simon really did to pull off so many good moments between them.  
  
"You don't know that. Maybe Lightwood is making things up." he heard the rustling sound of the newspaper and then being thrown away. Lily huffed, exasperated, "Call him, Raphael."  
  
He shook his head slowly, still not quite sure what was going on. He glanced down to his drink, to the brown liquid swirling in the glass.  
  
Raphael could call Simon, could end all these doubts and continue what was starting to be a relationship but with every passing minute, he was getting convinced that it was all lies and if Simon didn't have the guts to tell him the truth, well, Raphael wouldn't spare him a phone call.  
  
He shrugged. "I don't care" he murmured.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I don't care," he repeated, loudly this time and turning around. He looked intently at Lily. "If it was all lies, then I'm happy we only had two dates."  
  
"Raphael, please don't." She stood up and walked over to Raphael until she was standing in front of him. "Don't throw this away just because someone is making up some bullshit."  
  
"But it's not bullshit," he replied, "it's pretty much accurate. Simon and I never talked before and out of nowhere, he was talking to me, asking me out. He's been working for five years here, Lily and you think it's normal that a guy like him that always seems nervous and fidgety, is suddenly this confident guy who takes a stand in every meeting? I don't believe it."  
  
"Maybe he talked himself into this." She crossed her arms while shrugging. "It could be a lot of things."  
  
He took a sip and nodded. "Yeah, like calling Magnus Bane."

Lily opened her mouth, ready to keep fighting on this, Raphael assumed but in that moment his office phone started ringing. They locked gazes and after a minute had passed, Lily raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Are you going to answer that?"  
  
He shook his head, took another sip and shrugged.   
  
Lily groaned and turned to fetch the phone while Raphael stood there and watched her go with angry steps.  
  
"Yeah, he is here," she replied, looking at him. "He is an ass, that’s what he is. Give me a minute." She pulled the phone away. "Your assistant has Simon with her and he wants to talk to you."  
  
He shook his head again. "Tell her‒" suddenly, his own phone started ringing but he acted like he didn’t hear anything, so he kept drinking. Raphael knew that Lily was throwing daggers at him.

“Pick up the damn phone.”

He shook his head. “I know it’s him.”

“So answer him!”

He didn’t reply right away; instead he put his glass down, pulled his blazer closer and rolled his shoulders. Raphael wasn’t going to waste more time in this, he had a company to run and something that was just a lie to Simon wouldn’t be an obstacle to do that. If he meant so little for Simon to blatantly lie to him, Raphael would treat him the same way.

He glanced down to his watch and looked back up. “I don’t have time for this. Please, leave so I can continue my job.”

Lily’s hardened gaze turned to sympathy. _Pity._ “Raphael, please. Don’t do this again” she pleaded, hanging up the phone.

He walked to his chair, ignoring her. “See that those new guys from maintenance arrived and give them their contracts. I want them to start working as soon as possible.”

She shook her head. “Don’t close off, please. Don’t throw this away, Raphael; you know he is one of the good ones. You said it yourself, he could be‒”

Raphael cut her off slamming a little pile of paper. “Please, stop,” he almost whispered, “I know what I said, that’s why is so hard for me to ignore him right now but I choose that before he keeps lying to me.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I won’t risk it, Lily.” He took a deep breath. “Maybe it wasn’t meant to be and that’s it. So, please,” he raised an arm and pointed it to the door, “I need to keep working.”

Lily opened her mouth but nothing came out; she closed it and shook her head, giving up. “I hope that you are making the right decision,” she said, finally.

She looked at him one last time, turned around and left his office, clearly giving up on him too.

Raphael took another deep breath and looked down at his workload. How the hell he was supposed to work when all he could think about was Simon? And if it was just the good moments with him, it wouldn’t be so bad but the new perspective was just a bitch. Something so classic, so romantic wasn’t his idea but a love doctor’s and wasn’t that just _wonderful_?

At least his last boyfriend was honest with him, telling him that he wanted sex since the beginning and if Raphael wasn’t ready for that, well they should call it off. Raphael could deal with that but after knowing Simon, who pretty much was perfect for him, was lying to him and he just found out about in a freaking newspaper? Well, it wasn’t the best way to start the day.

_Maybe I should just quit on love._

Maybe that was the right call.

 

§§

 

After the mess he had with Alec last night, what supposed to be a wonderful dinner turning out to be a disaster, he knew the week was going to be the same or worse.

Considering the fact that just that morning his toaster just burned down, his fridge was pretty much empty because he just bought the food necessary for the dinner and now it was a waste, and the kicker, he almost cut off his own toe because he was so mad last night that he couldn’t find the will to clean the mess of the broken bottle of wine.

 _What a waste of money_ he thought, looking at the mess with a furrowed brow.

His week was really looking up.

Suddenly, his phone started ringing, startling him from his musings. The noise came from the living room, where the phone was on the coffee table, surrounded by the mess Alec had made with the broccoli and cauliflower.

So much for aesthetics.

He took the phone and accepted the call, knowing it was Simon from the caller ID. “Good morning, Simon” he tried to sound cheerful but he knew it sounded tired.

_“I wish I could say the same. Did you read the newspaper? This is bad, Magnus.”_

Simon sounded distressed and usually, he would wave it off but this time it sounded serious. Remembering how mad Alec was last night, something told him that the main reason for Simon to be this distressed was related to Alec. It wasn’t so hard to put two and two together but deep down Magnus wanted to think Alec wasn’t so vengeful, that he wouldn’t really expose Magnus.

Right?

 _No, he wouldn’t do it_ he tried to reassure himself but he wasn't so sure anymore about the guy that he'd fallen so hard and so fast for.

_“Magnus, are you there? Please, don’t hang up.”_

Magnus swallowed dryly. “I’m here. I’m not‒ I haven’t read it yet.” He dragged a hand over his face, he was even more tired than when he'd woken up. “What was in there?”

 _“I don’t have it in here with me. I read it in a stall and pretty much ran to the office to try and talk to Raphael. No success.”_ There was rustling on the other side of the line and a deep breath. _“It’s really bad, Magnus.”_

His door busted open reveling a distressed Ragnor who strode into the living room.  
  
"Did you read this?" He asked, throwing a newspaper over onto the coffee table. The few pieces of cauliflower fell down to the floor, making more of a mess  
  
Magnus looked at the newspaper for a second without seeing and looked back up. He mouthed a 'what' while Simon continued babbling but Magnus was too tired at this point to keep up.  
  
Ragnor shot him a look, the one that said it was serious. Ragnor widened his eyes and moved his chin, pointing to the newspaper and crossed his arms.  
  
Well, the arms, the look and the eyes were The Combination. It was serious.  
  
"Simon, I will call you back," he almost whispered and ignoring Simon's protests, he disconnected the call.  
  
"You need to read that," Ragnor said with a somber look. "This is bad." He shook his head.  
  
He looked again at the newspaper and grabbed it.  
  
Some part of him knew that this was about him and the moment he read 'love doctor or money hungry?' he knew it was a lost cause. Magnus could say goodbye to his career, both of them.  
  
He threw away the damn paper, deep down fantasizing it was Alec. Damn Alec. He dragged a hand across his face and took a seat, still with his hand on his face and shook his head.  
  
"This is a fucking disaster and it's not even noon. Fucking hell," he muttered but he knew Ragnor heard him, if the intensity of his gaze was anything to go by.  
  
"I told you, Magnus, many times. I told you-"  
  
Ragnor stopped the moment Magnus raised his hand, still with his face hidden with his other hand.  
  
"Spare me the lecture. I know what you told me and I kept my promise, I was careful. I don't know how he figured it out‒" he cut himself off and shook his head, this time dropping his hand "No, I know how he figured it out but I didn't know he could be like this, ruining relationships and shit. He made it looked personal."  
  
"Are you surprised? He's been after Raphael's relationship all this time and it's connected to you." Ragnor shook his head. "I really hoped Lightwood had dropped the issue after you two kissed."  
  
"Yeah, I..." Magnus started saying slowly and trailed off. "I don't know, Ragnor. I thought this time was different, that I covered my tracks and finally found _my one._ " He laughed, bitterly and looked at his friend. "I can deal with the fact that he fucked me over but ruining Simon's relationship? No," he shook his head, "Simon and Raphael don't deserve this bullshit."  
  
Ragnor raised an eyebrow, looking skeptical. "Are you going to do something?"

"Of course," Magnus replied, standing up. "Simon was making progress, Raphael was pretty much smitten and I won't let whatever problem Alec has with me ruin what they had."  
  
"Never has a client hit you like this. Why is Simon so special?" Ragnor inquired, sounding interested.  
  
"It's not that he is special, per se." Magnus stopped for a second, gathering his thoughts. "I know I made the right decision when I met him and he is really a good guy, albeit a little fidgety but that doesn't matter because Raphael really likes him, you and I both know that."   
  
Ragnor nodded, agreeing with Magnus.  
  
"That was the main goal, make them happy at the end and I won't let Alec ruin that."  
  
Ragnor stared at him and nodded slowly, then more surely.  "Okay, what do you have in mind?"  
  
"He think he has all the facts," Magnus started saying while retrieving his phone from where he left it, "I'm going to prove how wrong he is."  
  
He scrolled through his phone until he found the right one. Magnus smiled and dialed the number. After it rang, the call connected.  
  
"Hello, my good old friend" Magnus greeted his own source; Ragnor raised an eyebrow, probably suspicious because he was supposed to be the old friend. Magnus snickered but didn't say anything on the matter. "I need a big favor from you. I know you know Alec Lightwood, do you know where I can find him tonight?"  
  
He waited until his source stopped talking. "I know it's a long shot but I needed to try‒ Come on, it's Friday and he is a journalist, he must be somewhere‒" Magnus stopped talking, letting his source say his piece. He turned to look at Ragnor, who looked at him expectantly and with urgency. Magnus raised a hand for the other to wait; he ignored the long suffering sigh.  
  
Magnus paced around the living room while he heard shuffling and murmurs on the other line. Finally, his source was back and gave him a location. For the first time in the day, he smiled, knowing what he was going to do.  
  
"Thank you so much. I owe you," he said and after hearing his source's response, Magnus disconnected the call.  
  
"So?" Ragnor asked, exasperated "Do you have something?"  
  
Magnus smirked. "But of course, Ragnor. Alec wanted drama, so I'm going to give him drama."  
  
Ragnor shook his head. "I really hope this doesn't come to bite you in the ass after."  
  
Magnus didn't reply, he just shook his head and walked to his room to fix himself and kill time while cleaning the apartment.  
  
Now it was Alec's turn to hear Magnus' piece.

 

§§

 

In truth, Alec was bitter, angry and a whole lot of disappointed, and a tablespoon of heartbroken; maybe a little more than that.

No, that wasn’t true. He was heartbroken and disappointed but being bitter and angry worked a lot better and that was why he published that _exposé_ this morning and he felt so good about it afterwards but there was this creeping feeling that he went out of line this time, that he didn’t think it through but being angry won over anything else.

So, now he was in a Japanese restaurant with Clary because according to her, the restaurant had this speed dating thing twice a week and _if hook ups don’t work, let’s try this out, Alec. I mean, what’s worst that could happen._ Well, the worst that could happen was being rejected every five minutes.

How he could be persuaded so easily, he had no idea. Maybe it was his bitterness working on him that made him do things like speed dating

 _Speed-dating. I’m not bitter, I’m desperate_ he thought, suppressing the need to shake his head.

Because this was all directed at people who were quitting the “normal” ways to find a partner and now he and Clary were part of that group.

The host said that one group was going to remain seated and another group would change seats. Both Clary and Alec were in the group were in the group that would remain seated and there they were, waiting for the host to say they could begin.

He didn’t know about the mechanics of this thing. He supposed this was at least inclusive but even then, the thought of being paired with a woman was both hilarious and useless. He would probably tell her to talk to someone else because he didn’t know how to date a man, much less a woman; Magnus was the clear example that he didn’t know what the hell he was doing. And straight men was a no-no for him, that wouldn’t work.

Clary was seated next to him, moving her legs up and down while squeezing her hands. She was nervous, that much he could tell but he was not so convinced about the whole thing.

See, as much as he hated what Magnus did to Clary and consequently to him, Magnus was everything he had desired in a man and honestly, Magnus just ruined for him every man out there.

But he had to suck it up, at least for Clary’s sake.

The host said they could begin and his first victim was a guy with black hair and an easy smile.

Alec sighed softly; it was going to be a long night.

 

§§

 

Magnus arrived at the restaurant, which he had already forgotten. He was so focused on what he was going to say to Alec, that the name of the place was out of his mind as soon as he knew where it was located.

He was a man on a mission and his mission was making a scene, as Ragnor described. Well, he was already exposed so he might as well make it public.

Magnus walked inside; later he would say that the place was dimly lit for the romantic and private setting even though it was clearly speed dating, if the few long rows of tables were anything to go by. In another world, he would be doing the same but for now he would use the special setting just for what he was planning on doing. He looked at the rows and– lo and behold, Magnus saw him next to a redhead. The mastermind behind the mess of his house. Every time he remembered the food war, he bristled because he really went all out to make a nice, wonderful, romantic dinner for them just for his plan to go crashing down.

But Magnus would be the one with the last word on the matter.

In few long strides, he was there at Alec’s table and before the next guy could take a seat, Magnus took the opportunity to sit, cherishing the fact that Alec looked pissed at the intromission. He was this close to smirking but he remained impassible. He dragged the chair to be close to the table and put both his arms on it. Magnus looked directly at Alec, ignoring the “hey, that’s my seat” from the previous guy.

“Simon Lewis is a good man,‒” Magnus started talking while the other guy started babbling behind him. Magnus raised just one finger to stop him, without even bothering to turn around “‒in fact, Simon Lewis is a great man.”

Alec sighed heavily, looking annoyed but that wouldn’t stop Magnus talking. Alec would listen to him, whether he liked it or not.

“And I know you can’t see that because you are incapable of even _sensing_ a good man from a 5 miles radius. Now, you are mad at me for what I do for a living‒”

“Look,” Alec said sharply, looking up at him, “I already got your number, so why don’t you go _consult_ your conscience‒”

Magnus hit the table with his hand open, stopping Alec from continuing and drawing attention from the table beside them.

“Simon Lewis is in love with him,” Magnus said with conviction because he knew for a fact that what he was saying was the truth and not whatever crap Alec had cooked up for them.

“Oh, yeah, just like Charles?” Alec fought back.

“Is there a problem?” the guy from before interrupted them again.

Magnus turned back this time with the same finger raised while Alec said “just one sec” looking apologetic. Magnus turned back around, feeling fed up about the whole situation.

“What do you have against Raphael anyway?”

Alec looked affronted. “My issue is protecting people from assholes like you.”

“You don’t even know me,” Magnus replied, shaking his head.

“And whose fault is that?” Alec bit back.

Before he could form a scathing response, a red-head moved sideways and whispered to Alec.

“Do you know this man?” she asked.

Alec kept looking at him, judging at him and without looking at the girl, he replied “Apparently not.”

“Man, you are in my seat,” the guy from before interrupted again.

Both Magnus and Alec rolled their eyes. Magnus turned around, already annoyed.

“Listen, you don’t want this. I’m doing you a favor. Believe me.” Without waiting for a response, he turned back around and took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts, praying that Alec would at least listen to him. “There are certain aspects of my job that are secretive.”

“And my job is to find the truth.”

“Truth?” he asked while laughing sarcastically “You wouldn’t know the truth if it kicked you in the head‒”

“And if Simon Lewis has to take a fall for it, so be it.” Alec interrupted him, looking more and more pissed.

“Why don’t you say what’s really pissing you off?” Magnus almost shouted.

The annoying guy interrupted them again. “Okay, I’ve been waiting to talk over‒”

“Right, right” Magnus said, abruptly, cutting the guy off and standing up. He moved to the side and he practically shoved the guy away and took the seat in front of the redhead.

“Actually, you are not supposed to move just now,” she said, alternating her gaze between the guy he shoved away and Magnus.

Magnus waved a hand, dismissively. “I’m Magnus Bane” he said, putting his chin over his hand and smiled. The girl looked lost, still looking to the guy that was before him and looked at Magnus again. “It’s okay,” he said, keeping his smile.

“I’m Clary,” she said at last but she didn’t sound convinced.

“Hi, Clary,” Magnus replied, keeping the conversation going and with a way-too-enthusiastic smile.

“I work at the same newspaper as Alec but really, that wasn’t what I wanted to do. I wanted art but‒”

“You handled me, you manipulated me,” Alec interrupted them, pointing a finger at Magnus. “You researched me; I know you did because that’s what you do. You research people’s history and who knows? Maybe you hired that girl just so I could feel bad for you and keep this farce going.”

“Wait, you were Slushie Date?” Clary asked “I think you handled that situation pretty well.”

Magnus turned to her. “Oh, thank you.”

“Clary, you are not helping,” Alec said with reproach in his voice.

“Excuse me,” Magnus said, acknowledging him, “I’m on a date.”

Alec rolled his eyes and looked more sullen than ever.

_Serves him right._

Magnus looked at Clary, ignoring completely how Alec kept throwing glances at him even though he had another guy in front of him. “Does it occur to you that maybe a guy might have a plan? You know, because he’s nervous, he’s not sure that he could walk up to you and what would you respond if he said “I like you, I like you‒” he said the second one louder and turned to look at Alec “I like you!” he shouted.

Alec looked down looking embarrassed for a moment and Magnus hoped that this time, this conversation was getting through to him, that Alec would stop being so stubborn. Magnus wasn’t hoping his feelings were reciprocated because after this there was no turning back but he would make Alec understand, at least one last time.

His plan was a success because suddenly everyone was invested in the scene he was making. Magnus heard mumbling around him and from what he could gather, some of them were storytelling their own failures in love.

 “‒Is what you did and I did like you!” Alec shouted, cutting off abruptly the whole commotion, bringing Magnus’ attention, “but I didn’t know I was being worked over by some professional.”

 _At least he got the professional part right,_ he thought, bitterly.

Alec kept staring at Magnus until he turned to looked at Clary. “And you know, the only time he was sincere or spontaneous was when everything was going horribly wrong or when you were too high to even talk.”

“Right, because only you would take intoxication as a form of being spontaneous,” Magnus said, raising an eyebrow.

Alec narrowed his eyes but he didn’t have the chance to say his scathingti remark when someone once again interrupted them, a guy from a few tables beside them. “I’m sorry, but do I know you?” he asked, looking at Magnus.

“Oh, I don’t think so,” he replied and then looked at Alec “You want to see me spontaneous?”

“Sure, you want to bet it’s real?” Alec shouted back.

The third guy interrupted them again, trying to place Magnus. Alec turned to look at him.

“You know what, if this doesn’t work out,” he waved a hand over the tables, “you can give him a call and he might hook you up with Beyoncé.”

Magnus bit the inside of his cheek, willing himself not to make any sarcastic remark, even when that was what he was getting from Alec.

The guy snapped his fingers “That’s it! You are the love doctor,” he said, pointing a finger at him.

Alec raised his arms like _finally_ and Magnus just sighed, deeply annoyed by this.

Everyone who was already listening started shouting and agreeing that they knew Magnus from that newspaper from hell. Suddenly, Clary stood up from his chair, looking furious; that was enough to distract him from the comments and gazes directed at him.

“You are the love doctor?”

The host arrived so suddenly that Magnus wasn’t prepared when he felt his hand over his shoulder.

“Is there a problem here?” the host asked.

“Oh, yeah; a big one. What the hell I ever did to you, huh?” she screamed at Magnus, looking at the verge of tears. Alec walked over to her and put an arm over her shoulder in a comforting way.

Magnus was thrown off by the change of the subject; he looked lost, trying to find some answers by looking at both Clary and Alec but that was a lost cause too.

“I’m‒ Am I missing something?”

“Sir, I’m going to ask you to leave,” the host said, preventing Clary from saying something else.

“All right,” Magnus agreed, standing up.

“Why don’t you go to a bar with your best friend Charles Baker?” Alec asked, looking victorious about his remark.

Magnus squinted an eye at him, not following‒

Oh.

_Oh._

He looked down, gathering his thoughts and looked up again.

“Wow, just wow,” he shook his head. “That’s your source?”

“You buried yourself, Magnus,” Alec said instead of answering his question.

Which made him even madder.

“You weren’t listening. I should be surprised but I’m mostly disappointed that you got everything wrong.”

Alec shook his head. “I heard every word.” he said, emphasis in every word. “You are a scam artist, you trick everyone into getting‒”

“Into getting out of their own way so great guys like Simon Lewis have a fighting chance!” Magnus shouted, he didn’t care if he was making a scene. He was furious.

“Sir, please‒”

“No, no, no,” Magnus interrupted and turned to look at everyone. If he was doing this, he might as well acknowledge everyone. “I want everyone to take a look at this right now,” he started, waving his hands between him and Alec, “because this right here, this is exactly why falling in love is so goddamn hard.”

He looked at Alec, who was still holding Clary but he didn’t look so furious anymore and Magnus wasn’t sure if his regretful face was better now.

“Sir, let’s go. Now,” the host said more firmly this time, forcing Magnus to move.

And he was going to, he started walking but before he could leave once and for all, he turned around, looking directly at Alec.

“And Charles Baker is a pig. I refused to work with him.” Alec looked down, knowing now that he was wrong all along and maybe, making Alec feel guilty and regretful shouldn’t be something good but just this time, he would make him feel awful, just like Magnus had been feeling since that morning. “You needed to get your facts right.” He looked around and then back to Alec “It’s because of jerks like him that I even have a job‒” then he thought better of it because after that article‒ “ _Had_ a job.”

He shook his head slowly and looked down, breathing in deeply, forcing himself not to shed a tear. He wouldn’t let Alec look at him so vulnerable. Not anymore.

He wanted to say something else but maybe it was enough just like this. Alec Lightwood didn’t deserve anything from him.

Magnus turned around and left the restaurant, not looking back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those lovely people that had seen the movie, this chapter is the copycat of that scene. Now, after this chapter, everything is changed, so don't get surprised when you see that the following chapters don't match with the movie.
> 
> Also, for the new readers, I strongly recommend to watch the movie so you can get the gist of it and laugh when you read the story :)
> 
> As someone who doesn't write angst, this gets angsty later. Keep that in mind.
> 
> I like kudos and comments :)
> 
> P.S. Thank you for sticking around :'''')


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I didn't reply the last comments and NOT BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO, I WAS D Y I N G TO REPLY but if I did so, it would probably be spoiler-y but to answer one of them, no, Malec won't talk because then we wouldn't have a story to tell HA HA no but really, they won't until next chapter and also, no, Magnus won't be easy to forgive. Keep that in mind.
> 
> My only sunshine that makes me happy when skies are grey beta'ed this for me and the story wouldn't be the same without her <3

Magnus closed the door of his apartment softly and leaned against it. He sighed deeply and looked up at the ceiling; he sighed again and let the tears roll down his cheeks that had been begging to come up since Alec had so much as compared him to Charles Baker.

_Of all people_ he thought and shook his head.

He dragged a hand across his cheeks, cleaning all remnants off of them, not caring that he was probably smearing mascara all over his face.

Well, looking gorgeous was useless at this point.

He straightened himself and walked over to his drinking cart to forget all about this awful night and really try to forget all about Alec Lightwood and those gorgeous eyes of his. _Damn eyes_ because he would have to drink a lot just for that.

If he thought that the previous night was awful, this could be the winner. He was currently unemployed, everyone knew what he had been doing for a living, Alec exposed him and to top it all off, he was single; _again._

He took the whiskey glass and filled up his glass to the brim, and brought it to his lips. Tonight was the night to get hammered because it was his night. He had enough bullshit to last him a year.

He had enough of Alec’s bullshit.

Magnus took the bottle and walked to the sofa, falling over it, taking extreme care that not a single droplet was wasted while sitting. He took another gulp and filled it up again.

How it was possible that he never saw this outcome? He honestly thought that he covered all of his tracks, the only way for people to contact him was through a little card that was supposed be owned by a previous owner; no customer could be compared to someone like Charles Baker, so how he ended up with his business card, Magnus had no idea but it was all fucked up.

He took another gulp.

At the end, he would blame himself for not being more careful and maybe hate Alec a little for not seeing that his job was doing well for miserable souls who didn’t know how to find someone for them.

He raised his arm, ready to bring the glass up again and stopped; he took a glance at the swirling liquid and turned to look at the bottle in his other hand.

Well, he was heartbroken, unemployed, angry and sad. What was the point of keeping it classy; might as well drink from the bottle.

He drank the last remnants of the whiskey and threw the glass, not caring if it was going to be a mess. He took a glance at the living room, which was still messy from the failure of dinner date of the previous night. He’d been determined to clean that morning but that plan was a flop too.

Magnus shrugged and brought the bottle to his lips, and just like that, he lay down over the sofa. In all honestly, he didn’t care if his apartment was a disaster, he just wanted to forget these last two nights and the bottle between his hands was the answer to it.

More than hating Alec, Magnus hated the fact that he fell hard for the journalist, not thinking for a minute if it was a good idea to fall for someone who loved looking for someone else's secrets and Magnus was full of that, starting with his job.  
  
That was why he was so cautious but not even that was enough.  
  
Now he was drowning his sorrows with this half bottle of whiskey, trying to convince himself that this heartbreak would pass and that it didn't even count because Alec wasn't a boyfriend, just someone he went on two dates with.  
  
Magnus sighed deeply again. "But how it hurts," he mumbled to the silence of his apartment.  
  
He drank again and closed his eyes.   
  
It would pass, it had to.

 

§§

  
  
Ragnor had always hated selling his paintings to rich suburban women. It was like ripping off ten years from him every time one of these women asked for a price and pretty much pretended they knew more about the Renaissance and Baroque paintings.  
  
He bristled every time something like this happened. Ragnor was an old man, he couldn't stand much longer those situations.  
  
Magnus would say he was exaggerating but he wouldn't take a word from someone who left a city just because there was an ex living there but because Ragnor was a loyal friend (and his clients were swimming in millions), he could leave the city with his friend and help him mend his once again broken heart.  
  
After so many situations like that, he had insisted for Magnus to be careful with this Lightwood guy; Ragnor wanted to be hopeful, he really was hoping this guy was just interested in Magnus’ job and didn’t have any ulterior motives but something in his gut told him it wasn't going to end as happy as he thought it would.  
  
Finally releasing his poor soul from the awful meeting, he gathered all his stuff so he could go to Magnus' home and annoy him just a bit.  
  
In truth, he had spent so much time in Magnus' home because he knew Magnus was a lonely man, just like him. The difference was that Magnus hated it, being alone that is, so Ragnor would sacrifice his valuable time just to be there with his friend and watch those ridiculous shows Magnus loved so much.  
  
He left his studio and walked to his car and pretty much threw everything inside of it; he loved making art, it was his passion and he wouldn't change it for the world but sometimes, just sometimes, Ragnor couldn’t care less about canvases and pastel colors. Sometimes, he just wanted a cup of tea and to annoy the life out of Magnus with the smell.  
  
After enduring the horrible traffic from Manhattan to Brooklyn, he finally arrived to Magnus' building.  
  
He would probably have to endure another crappy reality TV show but well, Ragnor wasn't a best friend for nothing. He would do the same with Raphael if they guy wasn't a workaholic, especially now after that disaster with the newspaper.  
  
_I wonder how he is doing now_ Ragnor thought. He tried calling but Raphael never answered and he was stuck with the suburban rich woman, so he would have to comfort one friend at a time.   
  
Once outside of Magnus' door, he didn't waste time knocking, he just went in.  
  
"So, which show are we going to see so you can kill me a little more inside? I hope– " Ragnor cut himself off when he heard the obnoxious music coming from the living room.  
  
He closed the door and stood there, registering the words.  
  
_Oh no_ he widened his eyes, even though no one was watching.  
  
It wasn't obnoxious, it was depressing. That was the playlist Magnus used every time he was really sad and this time it meant that something went wrong with whatever Magnus had planned.  
  
_Oh shit_. He hurried to the living room and stopped abruptly with the panoramic view.  
  
There, on the sofa, was Magnus with a bottle in one hand and the other arm lying over his eyes, obscuring part of his face but that wasn't what caught his attention. It was the two empty bottles, most likely liquor, that were lying in the floor.  
  
It meant that Magnus had been this mess for hours.  
  
"Magnus, I really hope that those bottles are apple juice and that music is because you are so happy you just want to feel sad a little," Ragnor said with a worried voice. He crossed his arms.  
  
Magnus snorted and smile. "... _But I'm still alone in my mind, yeah. I know you're dying to meet me. But I can just tell you this, baby, as soon as you meet me, you'll wish that you never did_ " he sang on the top of his lungs.  
  
Ragnor winced but didn't interrupt that cry for help; his best bet was that Magnus was nursing a heart broken with a lot of alcohol.  
  
"I'm such a mess, my good old friend. I can't keep a soon-to-be-boyfriend and I'm a love doctor. What a fraud, don't you think?" He said with mirth in his voice but was immediately replaced by a broken sob. "I can't keep a boyfriend or a girlfriend, Ragnor. I might as well be alone forever."  
  
Ragnor deflated a little; whatever he had planned on saying to scold his friend for this was immediately forgotten. Magnus was clearly a mess and Ragnor wouldn't do any good if he started yelling.  
  
"Oh, Magnus. What happened?" Ragnor asked, walking to the sofa. He dragged a hand over the coffee table to move all the garbage on there. Magnus was supposed to clean the place but that was a flop too, he guessed.  
  
It wouldn't be clean, but it would work for now. He took a seat.  
  
Magnus started laughing and slid his arm off; his cheeks were wet and stained with mascara. It was really a sight to behold and not the good one. Magnus looked devastated, even when he was smiling there were tears rolling down his cheeks.   
  
"What happened?" He repeated, now that he had Magnus’ attention on him.  
  
Magnus shrugged. "Same old, same old. Alec found out about my job, he didn't like it and that was it. The difference he is," he waved a hand "he exposed me in his newspaper. I'm breaking news, Ragnor. I'm news."  
  
His voice sounded excited and there was a smile on his face but it didn't reach his eyes. Magnus was sad all around.  
  
Ragnor blinked. "He did what now? But you two were good. How did this happen?"  
  
"His source was all fucked up; a douchebag gave him my business card. Alec just–" Magnus shrugged again "he got creative."  
  
Ragnor dragged a hand across his face, suddenly exhausted. In all his experience, this was the one that it seemed had hit him hard. Made him wonder what was so special about this Lightwood boy.  
  
"But I don't understand. How did that happen? I thought you had it all covered," he asked with a furrowed brow.  
  
Magnus shrugged again. "I don't even know, I just know it's ruined now. I don't see any possibility to have a relationship with Alexan‒" he cut himself off "With Alec."  
  
Magnus kept silent, then shook his head and brought the bottle to his lips and drank.  
  
"Can you–" he cut himself off the moment Magnus raised two fingers, a sign to Ragnor to stop talking.  
  
"This is the song that represents me the most," Magnus announced, "wait for it."  
  
Ragnor rolled his eyes. "Magnus‒"  
  
"No, no. Wait for it." Magnus opened his mouth a little, looking expectant. He looked at Ragnor and smile " _I'm bad at looove but you can't blame me for trying. You know I'd be lying saying you were the one_ ‒ But actually, I would be saying the truth because I was so sure Alec was the one. What a fool, honestly" he said with despair and shook his head again.

Ragnor shook his head too but not for the same reason Magnus was doing it. His friend was a drunk mess and heartbroken, a horrible combination.   
  
He wondered how many times Magnus could endure messy relationships after another.  
  
Ragnor shook his head again; there wasn't much he could do with that but he could help stop his friend from drinking his weight in vodka. He stood up.  
  
"Come on. Let's get you a bath and then to bed," he said, nudging Magnus to at least move.  
  
Magnus started shaking his head. "No. I want to stay here and keep drowning in my sorrows. Be a good friend, Ragnor, and let me die here."  
  
Ragnor rolled his eyes and look at ceiling, gathering all his strength to not smack his friend and be a little more compassionate because Magnus was in a bad place at the moment.  
  
But he really needed some smacking right now.  
  
"Don't be stubborn, Magnus. Come on."  
  
He didn't wait for a response because that would just end up being a waste of time. He sneaked an arm behind Magnus' back, grabbing him securely over his waist. With his free hand, he grabbed Magnus' arm and placed it over his own shoulder, assuming that this way, Magnus wouldn't toppled over.   
  
But he wouldn‘t put it past Magnus to fall over his face just to make this more dramatic.  
  
Breathing in deeply, he tightened his hold and hoisted Magnus up. In turn, his ungrateful friend started groaning and moaning, mumbling things like he was going to be lonely for the rest of his life, not making an effort to at least stop being dead weight.  
  
"Magnus, come on. Stop being useless," he tightened his hold again and walked with Magnus but he sagged, almost making Ragnor fall.  
  
This time, Ragnor was the one to groan.  
  
_Damn you, Magnus and all your ancestors._  
  
"I'm pretty sure that's what Simon must be thinking" Magnus mumbled, dropping his head against Ragnor's shoulder.  
  
Ragnor started panicking. "Don't you dare fall asleep." He gripped his side and shook him hard. "Magnus!"  
  
He felt something warm over his shoulder, making its way to his chest, along with faint snores.  
  
"Fuck, Magnus"   
  
He got a snore for an answer. This time, Ragnor was the one to feel himself start to cry; he looked at the ceiling and then at his friend, who was completely asleep while standing up.  
  
"I hope you can feel my hate in your dreams," he said between gritted teeth; he got another snore in response.  
  
Ragnor shook his head and with all the strength he could muster, he started walking in the direction of Magnus' room, dragging his friend until they were close to the bed. There, he pretty much threw his friend over the comfortable surface; it was there that Ragnor could take a seat and breathe deeply.  
  
He was already sweating, which wasn't his plan at all. Dragging a drunken Magnus wasn't in the schedule for the day. He looked at his friend again, who was on his way to drenching his pillow with saliva.  
  
Disgusting.  
  
He grabbed the closer blanket to him and placed it over his drunk friend. Taking a moment to count the empty bottles in the living room, he came to the conclusion that Magnus wouldn't survive his hangover the next day.  
  
He stood up and huffed; knowing Magnus, there would be a bottle with pills in the nightstand. After rummaging through all of the crap that was in the drawer, he pulled out the little bottle and placed it on the nightstand. Then, he went to the kitchen and filled up a glass with water and returned to the room to place it besides the bottle of pills.  
  
Magnus should appreciate him more after all this trouble. An artist like himself shouldn't endure this kind of hassle. He should be eating caviar and drinking mimosas instead of nursing his drunken friend.  
  
Speaking of him, Ragnor turned to look at the sleeping mess. He also took a moment to really look at Magnus' attire: it was one of his best outfits, so that meant Magnus went to make a statement.  
  
Too bad that now it was getting wrinkles all over his satin blouse.  
  
He breathed deeply again, now it was just a matter of time for Magnus to wake up, so he just went to the spare room, ready to get his beauty sleep.  
  


§§

  
In another part of New York, Alec was in his way to getting drunk.  
  
He had four pints of cookie dough ice cream all piled up and even when he knew it should be enough, that hole in his stomach couldn't be filled with food. So now he wondering where he had stashed all those bottles of wine Jace had given to him and he put up the excuse that he would drink for a special occasion.  
  
Well, the special occasion was breaking his own heart purposely because he was dumb enough to let go of someone like Magnus.  
  
_How dumb I can be, honestly_ he thought bitterly while drinking from the red wine bottle.  
  
He should have done better, he should have stopped the dumb crusade to know who Simon Lewis was the moment he realized he had something with Magnus. Instead, he fucked it up, big time because in his book it wasn't enough to throw away food like that. No, he went and wrote an exposé.   
  
Alec shook his head and drank again. He didn't know how to fix it, if there was a way that is.   
  
Magnus looked so disappointed the night before, Alec wasn't so sure Magnus wanted to hear anything from Alec and with a good reason. Alec would feel the same.

In truth, he had been planning to have an awkward night with a bunch of hopeless souls like him; mid-thirties and forties guys who were looking for love and maybe one of them thought Alec would have been the one. Unfortunately, Alec had already found _his_ one and he tragically and stupidly blew it.

His apartment door flew open and there his dumb blonde brother strode in, judging the mess that was the apartment. Well, the apartment was really a mess; after he came back from the Disaster Night, he might have thrown around everything within his reach in a moment of anger that turned to some tears combined with ice cream. It was a pathetic sight to witness but he was really sad and not even the judging eyes from his brother could spark some lost dignity to the surface.

“Luke called me saying that you refused to go to work tomorrow, something about feeling pathetic and a sad mess. Something about a gay crisis,” Jace inquired while making a space over the coffee table and sat down. He raised an eyebrow. “Care to explain?”

Alec drank again for good measure, giving himself more time to explain his new problem. “Well, he got the gay crisis part right.”

Jace’s eyebrow went higher, waiting for a better response.

Alec sighed deeply and waved a hand lazily, knowing he didn’t have a good answer. “What do you want me to say, Jace? I had a good thing going and because I wanted to be detective and police, I ended up with wine, ice cream and single again.”

“What happened?”

Alec shrugged. “Everything went sideways? It was my fault… Maybe his fault too? I don’t know.” He shrugged again.

He brought the bottle to his lips but stopped mid-way. What was the point of getting drunk? Getting a hangover and regretting all of his decisions until now; he was already doing that now. He put the bottle down on the floor and brought his hands to his face.

“I’m still lost here, buddy. I need some background story here.”

“I don’t know how to even start‒ don’t you dare say _from the beginning_ because I’m not in the mood,” he snapped when he saw Jace opening his mouth and then closed it with a click.

“I… wasn’t going to say that”

Alec hummed, unimpressed. “Right. So the thing is, _was¸_ I met this guy, beautiful as he can be, so confident, so classy but he has this thing. He… It was a mess, Jace. Even though he was being so sure of himself, the two dates we had were so…” he trailed off, moving his hands as if to try to find the words that slipped his mind.

“A complete mess?” Jace supplied.

“A complete mess wouldn’t be enough to describe it… But I loved every second of it, Jace. I might be crazy but‒ I just wanted to see him more,” he ended up saying with a shrug.

Jace nodded in understanding. “And who is this special guy that you have a gay crisis for?”

A corner of his mouth curled up and he huffed a laugh. “Magnus Bane. You might know him now, thanks to me.”

Alec looked up to look at his brother, expecting a look of curiosity or just something to let Alec know he was paying attention. Instead, Jace was opening his mouth just to close it and pressing his lips, avoiding Alec’s gaze.

Alec knew his brother, someone would who run his mouth until someone would slap him in the end, that someone would be Maia, so this was a novelty. Jace _not_ talking? That was suspicious.

“You look like you know something. Care to explain, _buddy?”_ He narrowed his eyes.

Jace opened his mouth and sighed deeply. “So, remember that time when I told you I was trying to, you know, date Maia? And it was a shitshow after another?

“How could I? It was a sight to see you so depressed”

“I will ignore that because you are in your depressed phase‒”

“Gay crisis” Alec corrected, taking a hold of his bottle.

Jace pressed his lips again, probably not trying to laugh at Alec’s dramatics; that much he could admit. It was really a Gay Crisis, with capital letters this time because it was a huge thing. He brought the bottle back to his lips.

“I think you should stop drinking.”

Alec shook his head fast, so he could get his point across and ignoring the slight dizziness that it caused; it was slight after all.

“Let me drink my sorrows,” he said and waved his hand to Jace, “you were saying?”

“Right. So, because I was getting so desperate, I started looking for _other_ ways. That was where I met Magnus.”

Alec raised an eyebrow. “Did he help you?”

“Well, of course,” Jace replied, standing up, collecting the ice cream pints, “I really needed help and since we are getting honest here, you and I both know that Maia wouldn’t give me the time of the day with just my own looks, which, you know, they are good.”

“I mean, I don’t know. My standards are higher than just blonde jocks with blue eyes.”

Jace laughed but continued grabbing every little thing that could be considered trash. “So are Maia’s, which is why I needed help. I was a tough case and I know Magnus was close to abandoning me; I wouldn’t have blamed him but he kept going because even though I was an _ungrateful little brat with dyed hair‒”_ he stopped to kneel and take more garbage.

At least, Jace got Magnus voice right and the only way for that was spending too much time together.

“‒He said that I deserved some loving too, so he kept trying with me,” he finished saying, walking towards the kitchen.

Alec nodded. He didn’t know how exactly they really started and at that time he didn’t bother to ask the important questions, Alec was happy that after months of trying, Jace was happy and that was enough. But now that he really thought about it, it was a little suspicious how they got together out of nowhere.

_Maybe not out of nowhere; if you hadn’t been so focused on being a workaholic, you would know._

“I didn’t tell you because I know you would think it was a bad idea‒”

“But it was, still is. You lied to her,” Alec interrupted him, purposely forgetting how once again his work had taken over his life. “Magnus told you a bunch of things and you were there and convinced her that it was all you.”

Jace made a face, usually reserved when he wasn’t sure if he should agree or not with what Alec was saying or more specifically, when Alec was calling Jace out on his bullshit.

“Well, if you put it that way,” he shrugged, “you might have a point.”

Alec snorted and shook his head; after all this time his brother was unbelievable and full of shit.

“Listen, maybe it wasn’t the _honest way_ but it worked and Maia knows. I told her everything later; she knows I needed a miracle to get her to date me and that miracle was Magnus.”

Alec shook his head again. “It’s still not right. At the end of the day, you didn’t do shit, it was all Magnus and as much as I want to forget all of this, I just… I can’t.”

“Do you really want to throw away something good with him because you want to do the right thing?” Jace asked with skepticism laced in his voice.

“That’s the whole point of my Gay Crisis, Jace. Are you even listening?”

“I’m listening to a drunk guy, that’s what it is,” Jace mumbled, not low enough for Alec to miss it.

It was a shame that Jace wasn’t close to him because if it wasn’t for that, his hand would fly against Jace’s head and smack him hard.

“Yes, I’m drunk. I don’t need this kind of bullshit,” Alec snapped back, narrowing his eyes, throwing daggers at his dumb blonde brother.

For a minute, Jace looked sheepish but it came fast and just like that, it was gone. "The point is," Jace continued, "without Magnus, I would still be the fuckboy I was years ago."  
  
"I can't believe I'm going to say this," Alec said, looking at the ceiling, trying to find the will to continue that train of thought "are you trying to teach me something here?"  
  
Jace kept silent for a second, where the only sound was the water running in the sink, probably Jace washing the dirty dishes. The Gay Crisis hit him so hard that he just let the dishes pile up.  
  
Alec was sad and a little stressed out, so he tended to eat a little more than the usual, sue him.  
  
"The lesson here is that even though Magnus' methods are unconventional, the guy knows what he is doing." The water stopped running and Jace walked over the sofa again to sit next to Alec. "I... I knew you wouldn't like it and I mean I was right."

“I still don’t agree with the whole thing and Maia must be under some kind of spell to agree to this scheme.”

Jace sighed as long-suffering as it could be. “I give up.” He raised up his hands in a sign of surrender. “Come on, let’s get you to bed. You’ve had enough drinks.”

Jace stood up but for Alec it was in slow motion. _Maybe I’m getting sleepy._

“Let me sleep here.”

Jace huffed. “Fine by me, just don’t vomit. I still have to clean this mess, _your_ mess.” He pointed with his hands to the still dirty floor.

Alec might have thrown some bottles in his rage. He just nodded and lay down.

“I hope tomorrow you rethink this whole thing and don’t let Magnus go. He is the best option for you, Alec.”

Alec was starting to agree with that but he was already feeling tired, with not enough energy to agree with his brother, so he gathered all his strength to nod and started to doze off.

The last thing he saw before closing his eyes was his brother shaking his head and kneeling again, thinking at the last moment that he should go to Magnus’ the next day.

 

§§

  
Magnus woke up with a bang.  
  
_Two bangs, three bangs. What the hell? Did I leave the music on?_  
  
He turned his head around and‒ big mistake. The pounding got worse and he felt dizzy all of the sudden. Also, he had a horrible taste in his mouth, like something had died last night.  
  
His throat was dry and he could barely open his eyes since he fell asleep with his make up on. The embodiment of a disaster, which was how he would describe himself that morning.  
  
With bleary eyes and nausea growing minute after minute, he turned to look at his nightstand, praying that he left his pills there. There, the Holy Grail: a glass of water and his pills. Never in his life he had moved so fast to get them, his pounding headache and dizziness be dammed.   
  
After drinking, he released the breath he didn't know he was holding. Even though they knew he wouldn't get rid of his sickness right away, the pills would start to take effect.  
  
At least there was no vomit on his bed, getting rid of that would be a problem.   
  
Ha dragged a hand over his face, not caring that he was smearing his eyeliner even more. Panda was the mood for the day. He looked down at himself, noticing that he still had his outfit from the day before, now all creased and wrinkled.   
  
Well, if the day was starting like that, it was bound to be a disaster.  
  
Suddenly, his room's door was flung open, the door crashing against the wall. He winced, the sound worsening his awful headache; he fell against his pillow and put his arm over his eyes.

“Rise and shine, sunshine.”

_Oh fuck no._ Magnus groaned, not bothering with moving his arm away; he knew who the owner of that cheerful voice was.

“Fuck off, Ragnor.”

“Now, that’s not a nice thing to say to the guy who looked out for you the whole night” Ragnor said.

He kept his eyes shut, not caring that he was being rude to his savior. Magnus was grateful but it was too early to have a heart to heart with Ragnor. He heard movement and knowing Ragnor like he did, his friend was sitting on the loveseat that was strategically placed adjacent to the bed. Ragnor was getting comfortable and Magnus was getting annoyed.

 “I will assume that you are recovering and we can talk‒”

“I’m hungover, we can’t talk. Bye.”

“‒And you can explain to me what the hell happened yesterday,” Ragnor continued, ignoring Magnus’ refusal.

 Magnus groaned, the sound going straight to his head, making his headache worse. He groaned again, just because. He was suffering already anyway.

“Come on, stop the dramatics and let’s be adults. _Be_ an adult.”

Well, that was the Serious Voice: it meant Ragnor wasn’t taking bullshit this time.

“Okay.” Magnus nodded and turned around to look at his friend. Ragnor had his eyebrow raised and was looking expectant. “Long story short, there was a misunderstanding where I got involved.”

Ragnor looked baffled and raised his eyebrows even more; he crossed his arms.

“That doesn’t explain shit, if you pardon my French. I want the whole story, Magnus. Cut the act.”

“Okay, fine,” he drawled. “Let’s start when I met him,” Magnus said and Ragnor nodded, encouraging him to start talking.

Reminiscing what went down between he and Alec was bittersweet. Alec could have been Magnus’ greatest relationship and somehow, someway, it didn’t work out even though everything was going fine. Sure, they had some missteps (that atrocious allergy attack he had, just to name one) but _it was all fine_ and he couldn’t believe Magnus lost control like that. He would have never think that meeting with that Charles Baker would be his downfall and here he was, hungover for a guy that basically ruined him.

When he was done talking, Magnus stared at Ragnor taking in his reactions. So far, Ragnor wasn’t angry nor disappointed, so Magnus could take that as a win. He was already disappointed in himself to also have his friend’s concern.

At last, Ragnor nodded, taking everything in, Magnus supposed.

“What about Simon and Raphael?” Ragnor asked after a moment.

Magnus opened his mouth and exhaled. “I really don’t know. They must be like me and Alec, that’s for sure. I haven’t talked to Simon.”

Ragnor nodded. “Well,” he said, standing up, “get yourself together first. Then, we’ll think about what you should do with that.”

Magnus nodded, watching as Ragnor left his room.

He should start listening to his friend more often, so he could evade these awful situations.

_Get yourself together first_ might be the wisest thing he had heard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few things:  
> -Gay Crisis is A Thing  
> -Bi Crisis is also A Thing  
> -Ragnor is the best Best Friend and he is so underappreciated smh  
> -Saphael will be back next chapter  
> -Malec is a mess but we are hoping for the best
> 
> I love you all for leaving comments and reading, it warms my heart :)


	15. Chapter 15

Simon was in a pickle, he would admit that.

In hindsight, maybe calling Magnus wasn’t the best idea because knowing his luck, it could backfire on him at the end but he was desperate, okay? And a desperate Simon would have crazy ideas.

But Simon didn’t regret it. Magnus had really helped him and it wasn’t his fault that Alec Lightwood caught them in the process. What he regretted the most is that now Raphael was in the front and center of this spectacle. Knowing his boss ‒and brief boyfriend‒ after so many years, he knew that Raphael was a private person; that was solely on Simon because if he hadn’t pushed Raphael into saying yes, Simon would still be dying inside to go out with him but at least Raphael wouldn’t be the main attraction for hallway gossip.

Simon sighed again, trying to ignore that the two girls behind him were talking about him in rushed whispers.

He was front and center of the spectacle but he didn’t care. It was Raphael who he cared for.

“Please, Karen, I need to talk to him,” he whispered to the assistant in front of him, Raphael’s assistant.

She sighed again. More than looking annoyed after so many times he had asked the same, she looked almost sad for him.

“I’ve told you before, Mr. Lewis. He specifically told me not to let you in. He only wants the calls regarding the upcoming deal with the Lightwoods for the company.”

Simon furrowed his brow. “Upcoming? But it was already settled. What do you mean ‘upcoming’?”

“Mr. Santiago, he…” she swallowed, looking nervous this time, “he talked to the Lightwoods because there was an “important matter he needed to settle” before he could invest.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Meaning?” he asked, waving a hand.

Karen sighed again. “He asked me to look for other possible accountants for this specific matter because the current one, he was… He was _unfitting_ for the job.”

Something broke inside him, this felt pretty much like breaking up but he had to remain professional, he wouldn’t make a scene, not when he had an audience behind him Raphael could hear everything behind his closed door but Simon was slowly but surely falling apart. He could deal with the silence treatment but this was pushing him away, denying Simon what hope he had for a little interaction with Raphael.

Now it seems that even his job was going away too.

“Unfitting? What the fuck, Karen?” he hissed “Is he firing me?”

She shushed him, looking at the door and waiting if Raphael would come out. After two minutes waiting, she turned around.

“He didn’t say anything about firing you but until everything is calmed enough and the company is not in jeopardy, he wants to keep contact to a minimum.”

“Jeopardy? What…? Hold on–” he raised his hands, “–are you telling me that we could lose money? Because of some journalist making shit up?”

“Mr. Santiago doesn’t know if it’s a lie or not.”

That could be translated to: Raphael doesn’t know if Simon was a fraud or not. Another punch to his heart, why don’t you.

“And the board is considering removing him as a CEO for his _dalliances_ , since he seems so keen to be part of the gossip of the city instead of looking out for the best of the company.” She sighed again, instantly dropping her professional act. “That’s bullshit if you ask me. I don’t think there would be a better person to carry this company.”

He gaped at her. “My point exactly. That bunch of old men can’t do that.”

She shook his head and looked at him. “Listen, I shouldn’t be saying this because I like working for him but he… He is in a bad place right now. He thinks you betrayed him, that those photos were an income for you.”

“What?!” he yelled, drawing attention to them.

Karen shushed him again and lowered her hand. “He is sad, that much I can tell and I’m afraid he’s going to make a mistake because of it.”

“And I’m part of the problem. I should talk to him.”

She shook her head again and Simon groaned because how hard it was to understand that he _needed_ to talk to Raphael, to solve this whole mess.

“He doesn’t want to, Mr. Lewis. He doesn’t want me to let you in his office; he doesn’t want you to be in the meetings. He wants you to be away from him, at least for now.”

He deflated because if those words were Raphael’s, then there wasn’t much he could do but still. The heartbreak was there.

“But there should‒”

The phone over Karen’s desk rang. She connected the call and looked at him apologetically.

“What did‒”

“Karen,” came a voice from the speaker, drawing even more attention. Raphael’s voice. “I need to discuss some things with you and while you are at it, tell Mr. Lewis that he has no business in this floor. Go to your floor, Mr. Lewis.”

The call disconnected leaving the hall in complete silence aside from the hushed whispers again.

Karen still looked at him apologetically, with pity in her eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, standing up.

He raised a hand, stopping whatever she was planning on saying, if she was going to anyway. He didn’t need pity, not right now.

Karen nodded and smiled at him a little. Simon watched as she went inside Raphael’s office leaving him there, trying to find a solution.

He looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes, breathing in deeply, trying not to let those tears fall, trying to get rid of the prickling sensation in his eyes. He wouldn’t make a scene and he wouldn’t embarrass Raphael even more.

Not knowing what else he could do, he turned around and walked to the elevator, completely ignoring the pitiful glances thrown at him.

At the end, the only one he wanted to look at him, probably hated Simon at the moment.

With that thought in mind, he carried on his day.

 

§§

 

Alec pried his eyes open and the first thing he noticed was that something had died in his mouth. He grimaced, feeling his dry throat, a headache coming and his neck stiff.

“Finally awake!” a way too cheerful voice said.

Alec moved his head to the side to see Jace standing before him, looking so happy and relaxed, with a smirk on his face.

“Feeling like shit?” Jace asked and his smirk widened. He outstretched a hand holding a glass of water towards Alec.

Alec took hold of the glass and swallowed. “It’s the mood of the day.”

Jace raised an eyebrow, amusement clear on his face, which annoyed Alec even more.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Alec asked, trying to not to move too much, to prevent his headache getting worse. He felt movement next to him, knowing it was Jace sitting next to him.   
  
"Well," Jace started saying slowly, "you were pretty bad yesterday. Imagine how surprised I was that your boss, Luke Garroway, called me saying that you weren’t going to work because of some _personal matters._ Now I know that is a code for Gay Crisis.” He outstretched his hand again and in it, there was a pill.

Alec almost sighed with content and even when his brother was an idiot sometimes, he could be useful for hangovers.  
  
"It was really a personal matter that turned into a Gay Crisis,” Alec replied, shrugging, after he downed the pill.  
  
Jace snorted. "Yeah, that’s a way to put it.”  
  
Alec closed his eyes for minute, thinking how he got to this point. The fact that his job was the main part of his bigger problem didn’t help.  
  
"Come on, talk to me. What happened?" Jace asked softly, this time his voice didn't hold any smugness or amusement.  
  
He sighed and look at the ceiling, gathering any will left to talk about Magnus, how they started. How he just threw it away because he felt it was the right choice, because his job was more important. Because it was easier to say that Magnus' job was despicable and to try to be a hero, and make a fight out of it instead of listening to Magnus.  
  
It seemed that it was easier to fuck over Magnus' job than to believe that someone was starting to fall in love with him, that it was genuine and natural, even when it started so awkward.  
  
So, the logical solution was to break Magnus' heart along with his.  
  
With that in mind, he started talking, looking anywhere but at his brother because he couldn't deal with the shame and regret that all of this had caused him. How obvious it was that he cared more about gossips than his own romantic life.  
  
"I'm so stupid, Jace," he finished saying, looking at his brother at last, his pride be damned. "As much as it pains me to say it, you were right last night. I had a good thing going and I just–" he stopped himself and shrugged.

"Fucked it up?" Jace supplied, sounding sympathetic.  
  
"Pretty much, yes."  
  
"I have experience with that, trust me. You need to apologize, there's no other way around it. You need to own this, go to his house and tell him everything you already told me." He paused for a moment. "Listen, I know you don't like it when you find yourself in these type of situations. You've been looking for the truth your whole life, I mean that's your job, and now it seems that it wasn't what you expected."  
  
"I made a big mistake, a newbie mistake, Jace. I didn't check my sources; I just went with it and look at what happened."  
  
"Yeah, it doesn't look good," Jace said, "but someone like Magnus is worth it, Alec. He really is and you would make a bigger mistake if you don't apologize, if you don't do something."  
  
"I think he knows I screwed up," Alec said after some time in silence, "and I don't think he wants to see me anymore."  
  
"Well, you won't know that unless you move your ass from here and stop moping."  
  
Alec nodded, even when he wasn't sure it was the best idea, it was an idea and it was better than nothing. He needed to come clean, had the opportunity to at least say he was sorry and if Magnus didn't want to see him again, well, at least he tried.  
  
"There you go. Now, let's clean up this mess of an apartment, and then hit the gym. Pour your anger and misery while doing push-ups. Good for pent up energy," Jace said as he stood up, looking at the living room.  
  
That was an awful idea but since he wouldn't go to work because of his Gay Crisis, he would have to settle with that and also give him a clear mind on how to apologize without screwing that up in the process.

 

§§

 

Simon should have known that being in a relationship with someone as important as Raphael Santiago wouldn’t be easy but he didn’t imagine it would be like this: getting his life in a newspaper and ruin Magnus’ job in the process. It wasn’t what he imagined, in all honestly.

Now he was basically fired and Raphael didn’t even want to see his face. Simon shook his head and brought the glass of liquor to his lips. It seemed that it was the day to feel sorry for himself and spend his night at a bar while drowning his sorrows in alcohol.

“You are lucky that Jace is doing the same as I’m going to do now: comfort your broken hearted ass. Not my plan for a Friday night.”

Simon huffed, not turning to see who the newcomer was. He knew who it was.

“In that case, he should be here so I can tell him that his master plan was a disaster,” Simon replied, bitterness in his voice.

“Don’t put this on him or Magnus. Both of them were trying to help you,” Maia reprimanded him

Simon shook his head; that was a lame excuse. He wouldn’t put it on Magnus, he had done more than enough but on the other hand, Jace…

"And anyway, why is Jace not here with you? Not that I’m complaining, I actually love that you’re here but as his best friend, I should be his main priority when things like this happen. I’m heartbroken, Maia!”

She stared at him, unimpressed laced with a little bit of annoyance. She waved at the bartender to bring her a martini.

"Jace called me this morning. He’s staying at Alec’s apartment. Would you know that Alec was dating Magnus while this whole thing was going on?”

It was his turn to stare at his friend because _what? Magnus was dating him? In what world are we in?_ “Come again? What do you mean dating? Like Raphael and I dating?”

Maia nodded. “I’m surprised too. Who would have thought Alec would that to him?” She drank from her glass.

He kept staring. So, yes, Jace and he were best friends and all that but he never met his brother. Jace had mentioned him several times but they never crossed paths, Simon and Alec never met. Simon knew what Alec looked like (and okay, the handsome gene ran in the Lightwood family, objectively speaking). This was how it goes: Simon was Jace's best friend, who in turn was Alec's brother. Said brother was dating Simon's love consultant and that just– His surprised turned to anger; he turned sharply to Maia while drinking the last bits of his bourbon.  
  
"That son of a bitch! It wasn’t enough to go after Raphael– which it was annoying by the way– but he had to go after his boyfriend too? What the hell, Maia? What kind person does that?"  
  
Maia raised her hand in a placating move, since Simon was almost yelling and drawing attention to them. She looked at their surroundings to check if someone was staring at them, something that Simon couldn't care less about. She then turned to look at him.

"Calm down, we don't want you to make a scene. Listen," she sighed again "I don't agree with what Alec did but he had his motives."  
  
"Yeah, he was jealous of my soon-to-be-but-not-anymore-successful relationship.” He brought the glass to his lips again but there was nothing to drink.

He groaned, feeling annoyed with himself too.

“Why do bad things happen to good people, Maia? Why? It shouldn’t be so hard to drink my sorrows and‒” he waved the empty glass “there’s no more.”

Maia rolled her eyes while shaking her head. “You are drunk.”

“No, no–” he shook his head, “–I’m _tipsy._ That’s different.”

“Ok, _tipsy.”_

She sounded sarcastic and she shouldn’t be, Simon was heartbroken, a little more compassion, please. A little more sympathy.

“Has anyone ever told you that you are annoying when you are _tipsy_?” 

He opened his mouth but closed it with a click. “Not the point.”

Maia rolled her eyes and drank from her own drink. "You need to cut off the dramatics. You are spending too much time with Magnus."  
  
"And Magnus should have known better before doing pretty eyes at Alec– No, don't look at me like that. It's true, even though it's not my business with who Magnus does his stuff with." Maia's eyebrow was still up even with his thought-out answer. "What?"  
  
"You are right. That's none of your business. Now, have you talked to him?"  
  
"With who? Raphael? I wish. He doesn't even want to see me, so that's a little bit difficult at the moment."  
  
She shook her head. "With Magnus? Have you talked to him?"  
  
"I tried to but he hung up on me and since then I've been trying to talk to Raphael. No dice."  
  
"Maybe you should try again," she said after a moment of silence, "after all, he should know what to do in this case."  
  
"He is in the same problem as me; I don't think he knows how to solve it."  
  
The funny thing about the whole thing was that he knew Alec, as much as someone could know about someone else by the word of his brother, and he never thought his life could be interesting to a journalist. Granted, he was dating someone important but still. He caught Alec's attention.  
  
_...Just to end up single and hating the guy a little_ bit he thought bitterly.  
  
But again, without Magnus, he would never have had the courage to ask Raphael out and would have been a joke on those dates. So, in reality, Magnus was the one who could help him.  
  
He looked at Maia and sighed. "You are right. I'll call him tomorrow, for now I just want to think everything is alright."  
  
Maia smiled softly at him and squeezed his arm a little, maybe trying to give him some support.  
  
_Maybe one last try and then, I will leave Raphael alone._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who were wondering about Saphael... They are not any better, so you know. This is a competition of who can be more angsty within their not-relationship but rest assure (SPOILER!) Saphael will get their happy ending. Malec.... We'll see ;;;;;;)
> 
> My beta is the best and she's pulling this beta'ed chapters so fast. So million thanks to her and her amazing skills, ilysm
> 
> When is the next chapter? I don't know. Stick around and you'll see ;)


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER 16, GUYS!!!!! SIXTEEN!!! THIS IS THE LONGEST STORY I'VE WRITTEN. I'M SO PROUD.  
> Also, this story is ALMOST COMPLETE!!! It just need a touch ups and that's it. I'm halfway through the last chapter and I have to say it getting emotional. You'll see.
> 
> This story wouldn't be the same if it wasn't for my wonderful beta, ily.
> 
> E N J O Y !

Simon was going to work while reminiscing on all of his despair that had happened throughout the week. Who would have thought that it would end like this? It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen the worst outcome, and while it sounded pessimistic from his part, Simon was also realistic. Somewhere at the beginning, he had thought that hiring Magnus would be a bad but Magnus had looked professional and like he had known what he was doing, unlike Simon. So, he had let those worries go to the back of his mind and had gone on with his heart.

“ _‒So tell me again. You two broke up because of Alec?_ ”

Jace’s voice brought him back from his musings. Currently, he was talking to him through the phone about his _predicament_ and the person who had caused all of this.

“That would sum it pretty well, yes. I mean, it’s not really a break-up if you really think about it but hell, we were close to having something,” Simon replied. They had something good and just like that, it was over. “Alec was a dick. I don’t know why he is so against me, he doesn’t even know me and I take that as full offence because _hello,_ I’m your best friend. So, I should really ask what the hell, Jace?”

Simon didn’t even need to be in front of his blonde friend to know that he was rolling his eyes.

_“You are the one who always says that you are afraid to meet him, so don’t come at me and besides, I’m the brother and not even that is enough to grant me a visit.”_

“Yeah, because he is so busy making shit up.”

“ _Listen_ ,” Jace started after a few seconds of silence, sounding more serious, “ _I’m sorry he did that, I’m really am and while I could defend him and say that he had his reasons, it wasn’t the right call. I know that you and Santiago were on the right track and Alec pretty much ruined that_.”

Every time someone reminded him that he and Raphael were pretty much over, something inside him broke a little bit and his eyes started to sting at the corners but he just breathed in deeply and willed himself not to cry, especially when he was driving.

“It was going great, fantastic even,” he mumbled, his voice almost audible.

“ _Where are you going now?”_

“Well,” Simon said and then sighed, “I’m going to the company. It seems to me that Raphael won’t fire me, not yet, so I’ll try and speak to him. If he lets me, that is.”

“ _Well, you do that. Call me when you talk to him.”_

Simon hummed but didn’t say anything else and Jace took that as a good response as any other.

Again, he would try and see if he could crack Raphael’s resolve, get some words out of him at least and if it didn’t work out, he would cry a little more and then talk to Magnus. If Magnus had helped him to get to Raphael the first time, he could do it a second time.

Simon just hoped that Magnus wouldn’t give him the cold shoulder, just like Raphael was doing.

He sighed again; he was afraid of what Raphael could say, if he would even say anything but at this point Simon needed to say something, _anything_. He wouldn’t stay still letting Raphael believe that what they had was a lie.

 

§§

 

Once inside the building, Simon didn't waste time going all the way up to where Raphael's office was located, ignoring anyone who may have called him along the way. Raphael was the priority in that exact moment.  
  
He waited for the moment that Karen wouldn't be there; he needed Raphael to be alone, no one meddling between them and that way, maybe, possibly, Raphael would listen to him instead of believing whatever shit Alec had written in that damn newspaper.  
  
The moment Karen stood up and left, he almost ran to the door and opened it, forgetting the courtesy required when opening his boss’s door.  
  
"Karen, I've told you before: I don’t want anyone–"  
  
Raphael turned around and finally, finally, was looking at Simon.  
  
"–to come here" Raphael finished softly. His gaze flickered downwards for a moment and then he looked up, his gaze blank. "You could use some manners, Mr. Lewis. Is there anything important that you want to talk about? Since you didn't ask for permission."  
  
Simon winced; never in his life he thought that being called 'Mr. Lewis' could hurt so much but here he was, a little more heartbroken than before.  
  
But he wouldn't be deterred by this. Raphael hadn't thrown him out, so that was a good sign. Maybe Raphael would listen to him this time.  
  
"I thought we were past titles," Simon said, looking straight at Raphael.  
  
"That was when I thought you deserved that," Raphael replied right away, almost like he already had that answer on the tip of his tongue.  
  
Simon swallowed. "Please, let me explain myself." He walked a few steps to try and cut down the distance between them. "I promise you I have a logical explanation to all of this."  
  
Raphael snorted but there was everything but amusement on his face. "So you can keep lying to me? I think I'll pass."  
  
"No, no. Listen to me. Everything was real. I really liked you, still do. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't true."  
  
"How do I know that? How am I supposed to believe you when in truth I don't know anything about you?" He shook his head and sighed deeply "The only thing I know is that Lightwood is right and maybe... Maybe you just wanted the attention."  
  
Simon started shaking his head frantically, trying to get his point across. The last thing he had been thinking about was the attention. It was ridiculous anyway and Alec was the cause of all of this.  
  
"–Maybe you gave him the exclusive, since you were getting close and personal–"  
  
"No, no. Stop!" Simon yelled, abruptly cutting off whatever Raphael was planning to say. He breathed in and closed his eyes for a second. "Stop. You can't possibly believe that I'm after money. I'm not that shallow. I don't even care about the money, Raphael."  
  
"If that's true, then explain to me how everything he wrote is pretty much accurate?" Raphael crossed his arms, not caring too much about Simon's words.  
  
Simon opened his mouth, ready to reply but Raphael beat him to it. "Because as far as I'm concerned, you didn't speak too much, not until a few weeks ago where you supposedly found courage to do so."  
  
"I don't think it's hard to believe that people can change."  
  
Raphael scoffed and shook his head. "Please, give me a break. Took you 5 years to do it? Bullshit."  
  
He opened his mouth again but shut it then when nothing came out. Truth was he didn't have anything to say since Raphael already had everything all figured out.  
  
"I really thought that you were a good guy, Simon, so I let myself believe that and now–" he visibly swallowed and closed his eyes, "–I can't believe that I came out to you, thinking that I could trust you."  
  
"No, don't you dare to think for a moment that coming out to me was "whatever." It was a big thing and I don't take it for granted." Raphael scoffed again but Simon continued, "I came out to you too because I wanted us both to be on the same page here."

Up until this point, Raphael had been sitting there in his desk but the moment Simon said that, his boss stood up to turn around, facing the window. He didn't reply.  
  
Simon kept staring at his boss, waiting for the reply that didn’t come. “What? You don’t think it’s the same?  
  
Raphael didn't answer right away and when he did, he turned around to face Simon. "No, I don't think it's the same. It's clearly different."  
  
“I’m pretty sure coming out implies the same thing–“  
  
"It's not about that, Simon! I have so much at stake here. Don't you get it? I could lose my company for this stupid thing."  
  
He gaped at Raphael, at loss for words. Was that how he saw their relationship? A "stupid thing"?  
  
"I'm sorry for wasting your time, I guess."  
  
"Don't you dare put this on me."  
  
"Here I was thinking that whatever bullshit Alec wrote, was simply a lie. I wasn't with you to have some kind of prize but it never crossed my mind that you would think that this–" he waved a hand between them, "–was a stupid thing to you, a waste of time."  
  
"It is considering the fact that I'm wasting my time thinking that _this–_ " Raphael waved a hand in the same motion "–was just a lie, instead of worrying about saving my company. Which, of course, you don't get."  
  
"Why? Because I'm just an accountant?"  
  
Raphael scoffed, like he still believed Simon was too dumb to understand how this company worked just like the execs had been thinking all this time, and took a seat again behind his desk.  
  
Simon took a deep breath, this fight could get ugly at any moment and Raphael was under so much stress because while Simon could admit that there was a lot that went over his head, he understood that the company was something important to Raphael and to add this fight and the article debacle to the mix wasn't the best decision. He had to calm down.  
  
"Listen, I know that whatever I'm going to say, it'll be useless–"  
  
"You are right."  
  
"But that doesn't mean my feelings for you aren’t real. Yes, I talked to Magnus Bane; yes, I needed five years to get my shit together and ask you out, and yes, Magnus helped me get my shit together. Do you think a guy like me would have had an opportunity if I didn't have some help?"  
  
Simon wasn't even done speaking when Raphael was shaking his head.  
  
"I would have said yes."  
  
It was Simon's turn to scoff; he shook his head. "If we are coming clean with this whole thing, at least grant me some honesty here."  
  
"I'm not lying."  
  
"You are! I wasn't even a blip in your radar and if it wasn't for this, better believe me when I tell you that this 'blossoming romance,' as Alec so lovingly put it, wouldn't have had happened in the first place."  
  
Raphael held his gaze until it flickered downwards, where all his papers and folders were scattered over the desk. From where Simon was standing, close to the door, he couldn't see much but Raphael focused his gaze over his papers and didn't seem like he would look back to him. Simon took that as his cue to continue.  
  
"I think it was all worth it," Simon said at last, his voice a murmur, loud enough for Raphael to hear in the grand office. "Alec may have screwed it up but I don't regret it. I don't regret asking you out and those dates we had."  
  
He would give anything to turn back time and find a way to stop Alec from doing this to them. Hell, if only he had known that Alec and Magnus were dating, he would have done anything in his power to make sure that they could still be together and Simon's relationship wouldn’t be at the receiving end of this vengeance.

But it was done and Simon could only hope that there was a tiny opportunity for him to fix everything Alec fucked up with just a few words.  
  
"You could have told me that you were getting help from a professional," Raphael replied, his voice matching Simon's but still not looking up.  
  
"You wouldn't have believed me and even if you did, it was a risk I wasn't ready to take." Simon shook his head, "I just... Bottom line is, maybe everything he wrote is accurate but he was wrong when he implied I was after something else. I'm not. I just want to be with you because I like you and that won't change, not for the time being."  
  
Simon waited, and hoped, for Raphael to  look up, to say something. He even waited to be thrown out of the office but nothing. Raphael kept his gaze down, focused on his paper like Simon wasn't there.  
  
Ignoring him.  
  
Simon nodded and pressed his lips together, focusing on that instead of the prickling sensation at the corners of his eyes.  
  
"Fine. Don't say anything. There's nothing else to say at this point."  
  
Simon sighed again for good measure and without waiting for an answer, he turned around and walked out of the office, the door closing shut behind him.

 

§§

  
  
Alec was a grown man and he could admit that he made a big mistake (after a horrible hangover induced by a terrible not-quite-break-up). It was time for him to change his mindset; not every man was a spawn of the devil, looking for a good night stand and then forget all about it.

Magnus, on the other hand, had proven him wrong and that sex never made it to the table before. He was the clear example not every man was shit. But because it seemed that Alec was hell bent of ruining every chance of happiness for him, he had screwed up his relationship with Magnus.  
  
He looked at the screen before him, showing the article that he had written, the one that started this domino effect on him. Jace already called him twice just to yell at him and call him whatever name he could come up with for ruining Simon's relationship.

In truth, he didn't think about that. Alec had just wanted to hurt Magnus and collateral damage wasn't on his priority list. He really hadn’t thought that a powerful man like Raphael Santiago could ruin his life with just a few words.  
  
Alec groaned while putting his head between his hands. He really was a dick.  
  
He stood up and walked out of his cubicle, going straight to Lydia's office. As a grown man who knew he fucked it up, he couldn't act as the victim in this scenario. What was done, was done and the only things he could do now was try to fix it, whatever was left to fix.  
  
"Lydia, we need to talk," he announced, closing the door behind him.  
  
Lydia didn't even turn to look at him when she spoke. "You're not in position to ask for things, Lightwood."  
  
That icy tone went straight through him and he winced. He deserved it.  
  
"I know I went against your orders but-"  
  
"No, no. You don't know shit," she replied, this time turning around, "I clearly told you to drop that "vengeance" of yours and what did you do? What did you fucking do? You went and did whatever the hell you wanted to do. Now, that mess is running around the city and the big bosses of Santiago Inc. are blowing up my phone to delete that shit."  
  
"Well," Alec started after a moment of silence, still reeling back from Lydia's retort, "I was actually going to tell you to delete it."  
  
"I already did," she replied, typing, "I wouldn't wait for you to feel bad about it and come back and say this."  
  
Alec gazed down, feeling like a kid who was being scolded for a childish thing. In truth, it was. Alec couldn't even begin to stop feeling guilty about this; he had been conscious that this was something that would affect everybody and he hadn’t even cared about that.  
Lydia deeply sighed, so Alec looked up to see her already looking at him.  
  
"Listen, Alec. I'm your best friend but more than that, I'm your boss and I can't let you go over me and do whatever you want just because you felt hurt."  
  
"I know," Alec replied, dragging a hand through his hair, feeling remorseful.  
  
She shook her head. "I don't think you do. This was bad, Alec. You can't mix business and personal life just because you feel angry about with what went down with this guy."  
  
He swallowed, hard, because he knew, he just knew what would happen next, he had already been on the other side of this conversation. Firing someone wasn't pretty and to end up being the bad one in the story, wasn't the best role.  
  
Still, he asked, he had to. He deeply sighed, willing himself not to feel bad about himself because, once again, he wasn't the victim. "What now? Are you going to fire me?  
  
"You know I should do it, this deserves me firing you immediately. But..." she trailed off and dragged a hand across her face, "I can't let go of one of my best employees in this hellhouse."  
  
One of the corners of his lips quirked up; this newspaper was really a hellsite and could eat you alive if you let it. Alec couldn’t help but to exhale a relieved sigh, he liked his job.  
  
She huffed and looked at the ceiling as this would give her an answer to this shitshow. It wouldn't, Alec had already tried that. She looked back at Alec, pursed her lips and shook her head, like whatever she was going to say, wasn’t her best idea.  
  
"As much as it pains me to do it, I can't keep you in the gossip column."  
  
Any thoughts that this wouldn't be so bad, flew out of the window. That was like an ice bucket thrown at him and he wasn't even prepared for the hit. He stared at her, at a loss, because what?  
  
"What?"  
  
She rose up from her seat and rounded the desk to sit on it and crossed her arms. "I think you have had full reign on this column and since I never said otherwise, you just..." she waved a hand, "did what you thought was the best for us, and don't get me wrong, you had done an excellent job but I think it's time for you to let someone else take the job or just let a few months go by until everything is calm."  
  
He still gaped at her, not having anything ready to say.  
  
"I think you are mixing your personal life with your job, Alec, and as your friend, I can't let you screw both things up."  
  
She looked apologetic and as much as he wanted to understand that this was solely his fault and that Lydia was his boss and she could just fire him, this was both a warning and a second chance.  
  
So he just nodded, even when it hurt to be removed from this side of the newspaper.

"You're going to keep working with Luke, I know you are good with business and he needs someone who knows their facts," Alec nodded again, "as for this mess... Well, let's hope Santiago himself doesn’t drown us in lawsuits."  
  
"Actually, I was hoping I could talk to him."  
  
She raised an eyebrow and looked skeptical. "Don't you think you have done enough?"  
  
He winced. "I was going to apologize to him, tell him that this issue is over."  
  
"The people that work for him already told him and it's done." She stared at him, waiting for him to nod and comply but it didn't happen. She scoffed. "Listen, whatever you're planning on doing, you better not drag the newspaper with you, Lightwood. I mean it. Another shitshow like this and you are out, you got that?"  
  
This time he didn't dare not to nod. "Yes, boss."  
  
"Right. Now get the hell out of my office, those puppy dog eyes–" she waved a hand lazily "–sicken me."  
  
He grinned. "Thank you, Lydia."  
  
"Yeah, yeah," she grinned back, "go back to work."  
  
He turned around, ready to leave the office but with another thought in mind.  
  
There was someone else that he needed to apologize to.

 

§§

  
  
Magnus would be the first to say that this last few weeks had been one mess after another and getting dragged by a journalist wasn’t on his bucket list but hey, there’s always a first time for everything.

It was really a lot to deal with. Just thinking and thinking; the newspaper thing, what happened at the restaurant and how he was called out at the place, how Simon’s relationship took the fall for it. Everything playing on loop and it was too much, he couldn’t take it anymore so, he decided that he couldn't stay in his apartment and went for a run, to really think about everything that had happened.  
  
The real question here was how the hell hadn’t he seen this coming? Maybe he was way too enamored with Alec that he purposely blinded himself, those hazel eyes had hypnotized him to the point where he didn't even think about this outcome.  
  
Because the truth was he hadn’t seen this situation as a possible outcome.  
  
Everything had been fine and he would’ve bet a lot of money on things staying fine. Simon and Raphael had been doing wonderfully and Magnus had even been thinking of leaving his job for a while since his romantic life had been improving.  
  
Turns out his romantic life was a joke.  
  
The sad part was that he had been so blinded- and hopeful- that he hadn’t realized that maybe Alec was just using him to get info about Simon, info that he hadn’t gotten of course, but the intention was there.  
  
And even when his romantic life got fucked up in the process, Simon and Raphael didn't deserve to be dragged into this mess. It was between him and Alec and it could have had been solved without all this mess, without exposing both Simon and Raphael.  
  
Alec had made something personal into a business matter, just to get recognition on his job. Worst thing to do, if you asked him.  
  
He came to a stop when he spotted a familiar tall guy mingling outside his building.  
  
Alexander.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you guys could notice, the (light) angst will continue on the next chapter. For the Saphael shippers I can guarantee a happy ending but for Malec... I personally think it will be happy too lol but that will depend on you guys.
> 
> I'm a sucker for comments, so hit me up with everything you got.
> 
> P.S [my tumblr](https://iactlikegarfieldonamonday.tumblr.com/) if you have some prompts, I volunteer to write them :)


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you guys can see, we now have a final count for this story I'M SO EMO!!!! This is my baby and I can't believe it's coming to an end very very soon.
> 
> In actuality, this story has 20 chapters plus an epilogue, which I was very emotional while writing it. It's long, maybe 5K, so there's that. Meaning this story is done and ready to be edited by my wonderful beta, my sunshine :) the one who can make this story so much better, no grammar mistakes.
> 
> I know there's a long gap between updates but like Life, man, Life is happening so this has to be put on the sidelines but I promise you guys that you will see the end.
> 
> Anyway, E N J O Y !

Magnus stopped all together and stared at Alec, who stared back at him. It seemed that they were in that spell again but this time, it wouldn't end with a kiss.  
  
In fact, Magnus was sure, if they let it, this would turn into a fight.  
  
"What are you doing here?" he asked calmly, a huge contrast with the way he was really feeling.  
  
Alec opened his mouth and raised his arm but closed it just in time to let his arm fall, a dejected look on his face.  
  
Magnus continued his stare. "If you want to continue this humiliation game you have going on, your newspaper is that way," he said, pointing a finger behind him.  
  
"I came to apologize," Alec said at last.  
  
Magnus nodded slowly and crossed his arms. He stared at Alec, waiting because this couldn't possibly be the apology. He arched a brow and tilted his head a little bit.  
  
"So? Is that all?"  
  
Alec shook his head, as if coming out of a trance. "I'm not good with apologies–"  
  
"Yeah, that's probably because nobody’s had the guts to tell you when you are wrong," Magnus bit out.  
  
Alec sighed slowly for a moment and looked up to the sky. "I'm sorry. I was wrong; I made some assumptions and they were all wrong. I shouldn't have had mixed up my personal life with my job, even though it was already mixed up." He mumbled the last part. He looked down again to bring it back up. "I'm sorry, Magnus."  
  
Magnus nodded but didn't reply right away because really, what was the point? It wasn't like a few 'I'm sorrys' and puppy dog eyes could mend the damage. It didn't work that way.  
  
"Well, good to know. Have a nice day," Magnus said at last and walked past Alec to the front door.  
  
"Magnus, wait, wait!"  
  
He turned around to face Alec. Maybe a part of him was expecting something more that could tamper the rage and disappointment he had been feeling since the newspaper disaster.  
  
"I... I talked to my boss to delete the article from the digital version. It's not– It's gone."  
  
Magnus pursed his lips and crossed his arms, staring at Alec intently until he lowered his head, whether it was for the intensity of his gaze or shame, Magnus didn't know.  
  
"So, you think that with doing that, everything is fixed, right? Like nothing happened." He let out a bitter laugh. "Let me tell you something. You didn't do shit! I'm still a joke, unemployed and God save me if Raphael Santiago wants to press charges for messing with his personal life. All because of you, Alec. Thank you."  
  
It seemed like Alec's head was hanging lower than before, the shame heavy on his shoulders.  
  
Magnus didn't feel bad at all. Alec was an intelligent man, he’d known this was coming. The fact that he hadn’t prepared for it, was even less than a surprise. Alec Lightwood was a prideful man who had always been right in whatever he’d thought. Up until now.   
  
"I can't believe you really thought that coming back was a good idea," Magnus said after a moment of silence.  
  
"Believe me, I regret this, it was a mistake. I wasn't thinking–"  
  
"Clearly," Magnus interrupted while nodding.  
  
Alec opened up his mouth again but it seemed that his words died at that moment. Magnus wasn't surprised; Alec had so many words when it came to ruining others’ careers and so far, he was doing a wonderful job.  
  
Magnus sighed, this time resigned. "I don't come back to things that didn't work. And this... Us was bound to be a disaster. So, just go. Let's pretend we never met."  
  
"Magnus, just–"  
  
Magnus raised a hand, stopping whatever Alec was planning on saying. "We're done."  
  
And without waiting or even expecting for Alec to continue his half-assed apology, Magnus turned around and went inside his building. He didn't want to be involved in anything related to Alec. If he didn't see him again, then better.  
  
The funny thing about this non-breakup, because in order to have a breakup they would need to be in a relationship in the first place, was that Magnus had been looking forward to growing. He really liked Alec and if it weren’t for the whole 'love doctor' thing, they would have been official by now or on their way to that.  
  
Magnus was sure that his feelings were deeper than what he had felt for Camille or the others that came after her. What he didn't take into account was that this could be possible, that Alec could hurt him like this.  
  
He took the elevator and once it stopped at his floor, he walked directly to his apartment's door. He needed a rest for like a week.  
  
Instead, what he found, was Ragnor laying down on his sofa, reading a book. Like this was his house.  
  
So, because he was that kind of guy, he started making noise, he moved things around that didn't necessarily need to be moved while singing loudly enough to be annoying.  
  
After 10 minutes of doing this, Ragnor lowered his book and stared at him with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"Do you mind?"  
  
"Oh, pardon me. I didn't realize I was disturbing your me-time. Excuse my manners, I was just trying to make myself home in my own home!" Magnus said, exasperated, the sarcasm palpable in his voice.  
  
Ragnor kept his brow raised, unfazed at Magnus' outburst.  
  
"Did you forget to drink your coffee this morning? Have some tea."  
  
"I don't need any fucking tea!" Magnus snapped, glaring at Ragnor and immediately, he composed himself; it wasn't Ragnor's fault that Alec had showed up and ruined his morning. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't take it out on you."  
  
Ragnor stared at him, with a little surprise on his face but at least he knew Magnus' foul mood wasn't because of him.  
  
"What happened?" Ragnor asked, sitting up.  
  
"Alec Lightwood happened," Magnus sighed, sitting next to Ragnor. "Never knew my job could mess up so much of my personal life."  
  
He looked at Ragnor, who was sporting that knowing look since, well, they both knew that his job had really screwed up Magnus’ romantic life.   
  
"It's just another guy, my friend. You will find someone who likes all of you, including your odd choice for a job."  
  
Magnus shrugged. "I don't know, Ragnor. Maybe it's time for me to change my job for something less... Problematic."  
  
"Well, there are tons of coffee shops you could try. They're always reinventing themselves to sell the most expensive, eccentric coffee."  
  
Magnus glared at his friend for a few seconds and then snorted. "That would sound ridiculous but I'm unemployed, so I could use whatever job I can find."  
  
Ragnor nodded but didn't add anything more to the conversation because like the true friend he was, Ragnor knew that Magnus had something else to say. Maybe it was time to face the truth: New York wasn't doing it for him and the fact that this whole mess happened while not-quite-dating Alec, it had tainted the beautiful image he had of this messy city.  
  
Ragnor kept staring at him and Magnus shrugged again. "Maybe I should move out."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Yeah," Magnus nodded, "I should leave the city, find another place for me. Try as a makeup artist. It doesn't sound bad."  
  
"Wait, wait," Ragnor started, raising his hands to stop Magnus' thoughts, "are you really considering this? Magnus, you can't escape every time you break-up with someone."  
  
He scowled. "I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
Ragnor looked done with this conversation; it was obvious he wasn't buying Magnus' bullshit. "I'm not stupid, Magnus. And where are you supposed to go? Chicago? Try Broadway instead?"  
  
"That doesn't sound bad."  
  
"You don't know how to act," Ragnor deadpanned. He shook his head, "It's an awful idea."  
  
"I don't know, Ragnor. But this country is not the only one in the world. I have enough money to buy a one way ticket. I just need to know if you are coming with me."  
  
It was a package deal sort of thing. Ragnor had been with him since the beginning, through the ups and downs, and just to think that this time could be the first time that he was going to be alone was frightening. From the pained expression Ragnor was sporting, being alone in this new trip was becoming a possibility.  
  
"I don't think you should count me on this one, my friend. I... I have everything settled, I'm settled and I just– I can't leave it to start all over again," Ragnor stammered out and wasn't that a new thing? Ragnor was truly nervous. "I'm sorry, Magnus."  
  
"What? No. Don't apologize." Magnus shook his head. "I should have asked before throwing this out on you. I know that you're good here. New York is a good place for you and you have your art gallery, I can't ask you to leave all that for me."  
  
"And I would, you know I would but I just can't and I can't leave Raphael. He called me yesterday, drunk and complaining that I was friends with you." He shook his head. "This boy Simon left him like a mess."  
  
Magnus stared at his friend, mostly surprised because if he let that guilty feeling spread out, he would cry right at that moment. Collected Raphael Santiago calling drunk and probably heartbroken? It wasn't something you would hear every day and the worst part was that maybe Magnus had some fault for that.  
  
"He probably hates me now," Magnus mumbled.  
  
"I'm not going to lie, he is angry but mostly at Simon. He feels like he was lied to but... It will pass."  
  
Magnus wasn't so sure about that but at least he knew he wouldn't mess with anyone's life anymore. The decision was made.  
  
"Yeah, I'll leave the country. I'll find something else to do and forget about this job."  
  
Ragnor looked at him, concern on his face. "Are you really sure about this, Magnus?"  
  
Magnus didn't answer right away because maybe this would be a flop but maybe it was the best idea he'd ever had and he needed to try, away from everybody that he had met, the good and the bad, and start from scratch. He nodded at last.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure."

 

§§

  
  
Simon looked at the clock hanging in front of him. He was in his office, everyone already left except for him and another person. His boss.  
  
There was a reason why he was there all alone: again, his boss. He needed to talk to him again and he knew that Raphael was the last one to leave.   
  
Did he sound like a stalker? Of course. Did that make him want to leave? Hell no.  
  
A day had passed since they had talked. So much for letting Raphael let everything sink in. But Simon couldn't wait, a part of him knew that if he let more time go by, Raphael would burn in his own angriness and be more cold towards him.   
  
Simon needed to get his point across: that he was really sorry and that his feelings were real. That maybe his way to charm Raphael wasn't the conventional one, yeah, that was true but his feelings were the same and as much as he agreed that his odd charming way wasn't the right one, Simon didn't regret it one bit.  
  
The clock announced 7 pm. Raphael would walk outside his office anytime now and Simon needed to have a speech ready to make Raphael listen.  
  
And then, it happened. Raphael walked past, looking at his phone and Simon used that distraction to exit the office and call him.  
  
"Raphael!"  
  
His boss stopped but didn't turn around, probably because he knew who was calling him.  
  
"Raphael, please," Simon pleaded, "please, give me a chance."  
  
"You ran out of chances, Simon. Let it go," Raphael replied, his voice devoid of any emotion, which was even worse. He continued walking.  
  
"What? No. Wait" Simon practically ran until he was standing before Raphael, blocking his way; when Raphael looked up, his face was matching his voice: emotionless. "Please, listen to me. I know... I know that our relationship–"  
  
"Relationship?" This time, there was skepticism on his boss' face. "How can you call this a relationship that is only based on lies? Don't you think you have done enough damage to throw this shit at me?"  
  
"Based on lies? Raphael, I like you! I would never lie about my feelings, I told you that."  
  
"Yes, and you also told me that you worked with Magnus Bane. I think I'm entitled to care more about that. Now, out of my way." Without expecting for Simon to really move, Raphael rounded him to keep walking.  
  
"Are you fucking serious right now? That's what you care about. And what about you, did you fake it all this time?" Simon watched as once more, Raphael stilled in his steps with his back to Simon. "You are really that cold, huh?"  
  
This time, Raphael turned and walked over to Simon with anger on his face, completely done with this conversation, much to Simon's disappointment.  
  
"Listen to me. It's over, whatever we had was over the moment you decided it was a good idea to lie to me, to look at my face and made me believe that everything that was happening was genuine. So don't fucking come at me, don't wait for me to keep telling me the same old lies. It's. Over."  
  
Raphael spoke like he had been meaning to say it for weeks; he didn't pause, he didn't look nervous, it mostly looked rehearsed but by no means meaningless. It had the desired effect and that was to hurt Simon and boy, he was feeling it. With every word, Simon felt that this was really over and there was nothing he could do because Raphael was moving on, no remaining feelings.  
  
"Stop pushing me before I change my mind and fire you." Raphael spoke with a finality that didn't leave room for arguments.  
  
So, Simon did the logical thing and kept his mouth shut, letting Raphael walk away. As much as losing Raphael was like an arrow straight through his heart, he liked his job and wouldn't think of risking it.  
  
Maybe he should follow Raphael's advice and move on.

 

§§

 

A week passed by where everything was pretty much the same.   
  
Magnus started boxing up all of his possessions and throwing away the things he thought were useless. He started looking for a place in France while Ragnor tried to convince him to take the little apartment he’d left in England. It looked good so maybe Magnus would take it. But when he was alone in his room the only thing he could think about was hazel eyes, bright smiles and hair as dark as the night, and how much he wished for things to be different.  
  
In another part of the city, Simon went on with his life but it wasn’t easy when the one person he wanted in his life hated him and didn't even deem him worthy of looking at his face. Simon really tried but moving on from his 5 years long crush wasn't easy. He was heartbroken, to say the least.  
  
While Simon subtly wallowed in his sadness, Raphael wasn't so far behind. The last conversation he’d had with Simon had left him so shaken, he’d gone straight to his house to drink away his sorrows and fall asleep while some tears still rolled down his face. He missed him, way too much to only be a few dates but he really missed Simon. But at this point, there was no turning back.  
  
Alec, for his part, worked solely with Luke although he missed the gossip column but he wouldn't risk Lydia's patience, not for his job at least. His job was still important but half of his mind was stuck on "what ifs" and that maybe by now he would’ve be happy in a relationship, with a man he would gladly have called his boyfriend. But alas, that hadn’t happened and Magnus didn't want anything to do with him. Nevertheless, Alec had to move on.  
  
All in all, the four of them were a mess even when nobody was ready to admit that to the public eye. None of them were getting the “move on” thing right but they were trying.  
  
Trying and failing.

 

§§

 

Simon stared at the building in front of him, debating whether or not it was a good idea to do this. In the end, it was the only idea he had.  
  
A week later and he still couldn't stop thinking about Raphael and wasn't it so persistent yet so useless for him to keep doing this? Raphael clearly got over it but Simon just couldn't let it go.  
  
And this was his last logical idea before he threw caution through the window. Raphael was leaving for Seattle and would probably stay there for how many months. He needed to do something before Raphael took that flight.  
  
After the doorman let him go up, Simon took the elevator to a familiar floor and then to a familiar door.  
  
He knocked twice and wait for movement on the other side of the door.  
  
The door was opened and there stood the answer for all his problems.  
  
"Magnus!" Simon exclaimed with a bright smile despite everything.  
  
On the other side, Magnus looked surprised but gave a small smile.  
  
"Simon, what..." he trailed off to look behind his back and turned back, "what are you doing here?"  
  
"I needed someone to talk to."  
  
Which Simon desperately needed at this point. Magnus stared at him for a few seconds and then nodded, moving away to let Simon in.  
  
Simon meant to say something but everything got stuck in his throat when he saw boxes upon boxes filling up the living room.  
  
"Are you moving out?" he asked, perplexed at what he was seeing. The living room was not what he remembered.  
  
The coffee table was gone and all the trinkets Magnus had all around it were gone too, probably in one of the many boxes. The living room, if this could be called a living room, was mostly with the sofa and loveseat remaining.  
  
It was a depressing sight for his depressing state. He didn't need this.  
  
"Well," Magnus started, shrugging, "I'm looking for fresh air."  
  
Simon nodded. "Right. So you're moving to Manhattan."  
  
"England."  
  
Simon stared at his coach, blinked twice and then– "What?!"  
  
"I'm leaving the country," Magnus simply stated, walking towards the kitchen. "Coffee?"  
  
"No, what? No. Magnus–" Simon stammered out, shaking his head, "What do you mean England? You are leaving the country? For how long?"  
  
Magnus shrugged again, looking at the coffee machine instead of Simon. "I don't know, I bought a one way ticket."  
  
Simon kept staring, sure that his mouth was hanging. The fucker was leaving while part of Simon's world was crumbling down and he didn't even have the decency to look apologetic about it.  
  
"So, when everything is fucked up, you decide to leave? Right, because that's the easiest way. Brilliant, Magnus, brilliant!"  
  
"Hey, don't use that tone with me–"  
  
"I'll use whatever the fuck tone I want to use!" he yelled out, leaving Magnus speechless for the first time. He was angry, how Magnus could think about leaving everything like this? "What about me? You didn't even finish helping me."  
  
"And what's the point? Everyone knows about me and Ragnor already told me that Raphael doesn't want to do anything to do with me. I'm not going to risk it."  
  
"So, that's it?" Simon asked, his desperation and frustration dripping on his tone.  
  
"I don't know what you want me to tell you, Simon. I'm done, if you haven't noticed. This 'let me help you out with your romantic life' thing is not working anymore since Alec Lightwood decided that it was a good idea to make it part of his job," Magnus replied, still not looking up while his voice was filled with disdain, "so excuse me if I want to save some dignity."  
  
"It's not only you who is in this mess, you dipshit! My romantic life and job is on the line here too. Alec screwed all of us, not just you!"  
  
"Did you come to my house to yell at me?"  
  
"No, I came because you are the only one who can help me but lately I've been wrong with all my choices." He closed his eyes for a second and sighed, gathering his thoughts. "Raphael is leaving to Seattle and I can't... He won't talk to me no matter what I do."  
  
Magnus visibly swallowed and kept silent before talking. "Trust me, I'm the last person he wants to see. I can't help you with this, just move on. Just like I'm doing."  
  
Simon scoffed because that was rich coming from Magnus. "More like running away," he said, ignoring the glare that was aimed at him. "I know you had something with Alec– Yes, I know, I have my ways. Point is, it wasn't nice what he did to you or to any of us but when I hired you, I thought you believed in love."  
  
"Of course I believe in it–"  
  
"Yes, when it's for someone else," Simon interrupted, making Magnus shut up all together, "but when it's you, you're a coward the moment something goes wrong. I thought I was one but at least I'm fighting for the one I love."  
  
Three dates didn't matter when the only one he envisioned spending his days with Raphael, so yes, he was the one Simon loved.  
  
"It was good to see you, Magnus. I hope you do great in England.”   
  
He spared one last glance at the man who helped him grow his confidence. He was grateful but he wouldn’t do the same thing and walk away.  
  
If Magnus didn't help him, Simon would keep on fighting because Raphael was worth it.  



	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE ARE GETTING CLOSE TO THE END!!!
> 
> And we are almost done with the light angst.
> 
> Also, you guysssss, this story has a year since it's been posted. HAPPY ONE YEAR TO MY BABY!!! (I didn't post on the second, so we will just assume that today is the second and not the 8th, thank you)
> 
> E N J O Y !

Magnus looked at the place where Simon had been standing just two minutes ago, letting his words sink in.  
  
Maybe Simon was right, maybe he was a coward. He’d let this altercation ruin whatever he had with Alec and while now there were no feelings for the man himself, he couldn't bear to think that Simon's relationship could end as well just because Alec had had some unresolved issues with him.  
  
At last, he would help Simon, even when he knew Raphael didn't want to see him.

 

§§

  
  
Raphael sighed for the tenth time that day. He was more tired than usual, he hadn't been sleeping because of one single thought: Simon. How was it possible that it was only three dates and he was weeping and crying in corners because they kind of broke up?  
  
_Is even a break up when it wasn't official?_  
  
He sighed again and look at the pile of paperwork on his desk. What the hell? His flight was tonight and he had so many things to do and what was his brain doing? Thinking of Simon.  
  
Fucking hell. He groaned against his hands, muffling the sound so the company wouldn't think he was losing it, which in reality Raphael was doing exactly that.  
  
Suddenly, his door busted open and the person who dared to do this was no other than Magnus Bane with his chin up, exuding confidence, like he owned the place. Raphael didn't call security then and there just because he needed entertainment. Behind him was Karen looking all kinds of nervous and panicked.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Santiago. I told him you weren't taking visitors but he didn't listen and–"  
  
Raphael raised a hand to stop the rambling. "It's okay. Just... Don't let it happen again."  
  
His assistant nodded and left the office, closing the door behind her. Raphael didn’t deem Magnus worthy enough to stand up, so he remained seated. He was the boss here, Magnus should catch up with the program. Also, he was petty. Sue him.  
  
"What can I do for you, Mr. Bane?" he asked calmly even though he was dying to yell at the man in front of him.  
  
"May I take a seat?" Magnus spoke for the first time, tilting his head towards one of the empty seats.  
  
Raphael nodded, raising a hand towards one of them but other than that, he didn't speak.  
  
"Since you know who I am, I shouldn't bother with useless introductions," Magnus said, after making himself comfortable on the chair, "and maybe you know why I'm here."  
  
Raphael had an idea that involved curly hair and a clumsy demeanor but didn't dare to speak, so he let the silence speak for him.  
  
Magnus stared at him and nodded. "Well, I'm here because of Simon. You should know that he never meant to make you feel embarrassed. He knows how much you cherish your personal life."  
  
"Don't you think Simon is old enough to speak for himself?"  
  
"Of course. I also know how you don't want to listen anything coming from him, so that's why I'm here."  
  
Well, that was unexpected; he bit the inside of his cheek just so he could tame the embarrassment rolling in waves. He was the boss, he didn't need to feel called out like this.  
  
He swallowed and squared his shoulders. "So what's your point coming here?"  
  
"Simon," Magnus simply replied as if saying 'duh', "I can't look at him knowing that his relationship is over because of a misunderstanding–"  
  
"Cut the crap, Bane," Raphael cut him off sharply, "there's no 'misunderstanding' here. We all know what happened and I'm blaming it all on you."  
  
"Yeah, okay. Be mad at me but Simon doesn't deserve it."  
  
"Of course he does! This wouldn't have happened if he hadn't called you."  
  
"Would you have called him instead?" Magnus answered with another question, placing his chin upon his hand.  


Raphael opened his mouth, ready to say yes but he stopped at the last minute because like Alec Lightwood had so beautifully written it, Simon and him hadn’t spoken until a few days ago and if he was honest with himself, he wouldn't have called Simon. Of course, he had thought that Simon was handsome enough to do it but Raphael would have delayed enough until there was no point in calling.  
  
All in all, if it weren’t for Simon, there wouldn’t have been a relationship now to be heartbroken about.  
  
Hindsight was a bitch.  
  
And Magnus knew all of this, if the annoying smirk was anything to go by.  
  
"I do– well, did this kind of job because I wanted to help people like Simon. Guys and girls who know that they wouldn't have a chance with their love interest for several reasons. Did he lie to you? No. Everything was him, everything that I know you like is him." Magnus paused for a second to let everything sink in. "I just helped him to date the guy that he's been crushing on."  
  
Raphael felt how his cheeks got warmer. "But he still lied to me. He should have told me he was working with you, I feel like everything was a lie–"  
  
"How many times do I have to tell you that my feelings are true? I won't stop until you believe me."  
  
Both Raphael and Magnus almost jumped out of their skins when the door busted open once again, bouncing against the wall and with a panting Simon under the threshold. Behind him was Karen again, more embarrassed than before.  
  
Raphael internally groaned, massaging his forehead. He could sense a headache coming.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Raphael heard Magnus hissing.  
  
"What else do you think I'm doing? Fixing my love life!"  
  
"Simon, shut up!" This time it was Raphael that hissed, snapping his head up so fast he was surprised that nothing snapped. He looked at his assistant. "Karen, please, no more surprises."  
  
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Santiago. He was waiting until–"  
  
He raised his hand again. "Promise me this is the last time." Karen nodded. He waved a hand and she was gone. "I'm getting really tired of you people coming in here like you own the place."  
  
"You must be really dense if that's the only thing you care about," Magnus mused, getting a glare from Raphael, shutting him up.  
  
"If you two wanted to convince me that this is all solved, I'm sorry to disappoint you but we're far from that."  
  
"Alec guaranteed me that the article was gone from all their sources," Magnus stated, standing and positioning himself in front of him, covering Simon.  
  
Raphael scoffed. "And by some miracle everyone is going to forget about it."  
  
Magnus looked behind him towards Simon while Simon kept his gaze towards  Raphael, so Raphael crossed his arms defiantly and Simon rolled his eyes. What a show they were making.  
  
_At least the door is closed... For now._  
  
"What else do you want me to tell you? I sound like a broken record telling you the same thing. Yes, I hired Magnus but it was for a good reason. Look at me, be honest, would you have dated me before all this happen?"  
  
Raphael opened his mouth to speak but Magnus beat him to it. "I already asked him that and the conclusion was no."  
  
Raphael glared at him again, purposely ignoring how Simon's shoulders slumped a little bit.  
  
"No!" Raphael snapped, "I wouldn't have dated you before but because I'm a coward and I couldn't convince myself to do it."  
  
"So, all of this is a reason to stay mad at me?"  
  
"I'm still mad," Raphael conceded, "but I guess it was towards the wrong person."  
  
Raphael and Simon kept looking at each other; maybe now it was time for Raphael to realize that all of this was just pointless, that Simon had done everything for him. Granted, Simon made odd decisions and Raphael still couldn’t wrap his mind around a “love doctor” being a legitimate job but at the end, it had been for him.

And because he was looking at his favorite curly-haired man, he didn't notice Magnus approaching him.  
  
"Word of advice, Raphael. You have a good thing going on here, don't throw it away," Magnus said, his gaze earnest. For a moment, he looked towards Simon and then back to him. Magnus continued, "I don't work with assholes and I can guarantee you that Simon is one of a kind. One of the good guys."  
  
_Don't if I know it?_ he thought. That was why it was so hard to let him go, knowing that Simon was a great catch, boyfriend material, setting aside the love doctor thing, of course.  
  
Raphael opened his mouth but whatever he was thinking of saying, didn't come out, so he closed it and nodded.  
  
Magnus did as well and with a small smile on his lips, he turned around and left the office but not before gripping Simon's shoulder on his way out.  
  
At last, they were alone. Something Raphael was both dreading and appreciating. Maybe it was time to have a mature conversation that he didn't want to face.  
  
At the other side of the office, Simon remained standing, crossing and uncrossing his arms, fixing his hair and then placing his arms behind his back, then at the front, to then think better of it and just left them at his sides. It was quite amusing, just a little bit.  
  
"Would you quit doing that? It's getting on my nerves." All lies. He liked his messy boyfriend.  
  
_Ex-boyfriend, Raphael. What the hell? You're supposed to be angry._ He crossed his arms for good measure.  
  
"Let me be nervous, would you?" Simon snapped and then sighed deeply, "I’ve never made it so far."  
  
Raphael rolled his eyes but he was freaking out too. He nodded, giving Simon time to start talking because, really, he didn't have anything else to say.  
  
Simon nodded and sighed again. "Okay, so– I don't know what else I can tell you. I... Maybe it was wrong, maybe searching for a professional for this kind of thing wasn't my best move but-" another sigh, squaring his shoulders, "I don't regret it. Magnus helped me get confidence and that got me a date with the man I've been crushing since I started here."  
  
 

Raphael tried to swallowed the lump that that formed in his throat; it never failed to make him feel when Simon professed his feelings for him.  
  
"I like you, Raphael, crazily so and I'm so close... I'm so close to falling in love with you, it wouldn't be so hard because I finally met the guy behind the expensive suit and perpetual scowl–" Somewhere along the way, Raphael had lowered his gaze and looked up at this point when Simon said this, and couldn't help but snort. Simon smiled a little bit, "and he is amazing. Those three dates? The best nights in my life, Raphael. I don't regret any bit of it."  
  
"I don't regret it either," Raphael mumbled.  
  
"Then why are we still fighting?"  
  
"I... I still– I need some reason to be mad at you because with all your dorkiness and fumbling mess, I still think you are perfect–"  
  
"I'm far from perfect, Raphael." Simon shook his head a little and took a few steps towards Raphael but he was still far, the desk still between them. "And I'm a complete mess."  
  
"Yes, it's true," Raphael conceded, "but you're perfect to me."  
  
They both stood there in silence, trying to come up with something else that could end their misery.  
  
Raphael had already met the guy that accepted him completely and if he was honest with himself, he wasn't ready to let him go, even when he wanted to act tough and say that it was just three dates and didn't mean anything. Simon meant something and he was already in deep with him. Just like Simon, he was so close to falling in love with him and he shouldn't let trash gossip ruin that.  
  
Nobody had told him that relationships were so hard.  
  
He sighed again and looked up towards Simon who somehow perfected his puppy dog eyes and Raphael was only human. He could be cold in his workplace but Simon was starting to become a weakness.  
  
"You are lucky you're cute," Raphael deadpanned.  
  
And Simon smiled, big and bright with hopeful, bashful eyes that made Raphael's heart skip a beat. Simon was stupidly handsome and really, dumb enough to hire someone else when all he could have done was approach Raphael with his dorkiness and he would be done for that.  
  
Simon walked to the desk, walked around it until he was facing Raphael, with pleading eyes this time. What would he plead, Raphael didn't know because he had already been forgiven.

“Before I say anything, do you have anything else you want to tell me?”

Simon widened his eyes, taken aback by the question. “Well, I talk a lot when I’m nervous, I like numbers and music. I don’t have a successful romantic life but I get by,” he said, looking at Raphael and he, in turn, blushed furiously because it was clear to whom that statement was directed. Simon smiled. “I met a wonderful man and we kind of fought but I’m hoping that from now on it’s smooth sailing.”

“You sound pretty confident about that,” Raphael said, smirking a little, aligning his body towards Simon while he walked the remaining steps until they were close enough to touch.

“I have hope,” Simon replied and Raphael snorted.

They stood in silence for a minute and then Simon sighed.

“I’m really sorry that we had to go through this, that you had your life so in the open and I– I never meant for that to happen. I just wanted–“

Raphael stopped Simon’s babbling when he placed a finger over Simon’s lips. “Forget about it. I know that you just were looking for some _new_ ways to date me, so I shouldn’t be mad at you. I should be the one to apologize because I didn’t– I don’t know, I wanted to be mad at you for as long as I could. I’m sorry.

Simon shook his head. “You don’t have to be sorry. I should have been honest with you. Endured the rejection but I still I would have tried on my own.”

Raphael swallowed and they were silent for a second, trying to let everything that had happened sink in. He had been single, then he had met this wonderful man, then he’d lost him because of a vengeful journalist who couldn’t leave him alone and now he was here, with that wonderful man again and, God, what a ride. Raphael was a grown up man and he could admit that he made a mistake, even when he thought he was right but hopefully, this could be only a misstep on their relationship.

“Let’s just go to our fourth date and talk about Star Wars or Star Trek or whatever you nerds like to watch,” he mumbled, soft smile on his lips.

“I would say you are mean but it’s true,” Simon said once Raphael moved his hand away; he smiled.

And that was the moment their lips connected for a second time, and it was as heavenly as the first time. Simon circling Raphael’s waist, getting even closer, deepening the kiss. Hearing that sigh of content again was like music to Raphael’s ears he would be lying if he said that he didn’t want to hear it again and again.

They broke the kiss to look at each other’s eyes one more time.

“And it’s Star Wars, not Star Trek. Stark Trek doesn’t have the strong leaders that Star Wars has but at least Star Trek is not the chronological mess that is Star Wars, so I think–“

“Simon, shut up and kiss me. Please.”

Simon closed his mouth with a click and nodded. “Whatever the boss wants.”

Raphael rolled his eyes but it didn’t deter him from accepting the kiss.

Giving up on love wasn’t an option anymore.

 

§§

 

 

Since Alec had already admitted that he had made a mistake, he also could admit that he was stubborn and letting this go, letting Magnus go wasn’t an option. He felt as if something was slipping through his fingers; Magnus was that. Alec was losing him and it was his fault.

Alec had a slight idea that he was letting his work take over his life, he knew that but he hadn’t cared enough to change it but now he realized that his obsession with being the best at what he did, had screwed over his potential relationship with Magnus, ruined Simon and Raphael’s relationship and he’d almost gotten himself fired.

So, yes, he needed to change his priorities right at that moment and the first one was to fix whatever was left to fix with Magnus, if there was something else to fix. But he needed to try, he needed to do whatever was in his power to get his message across, let Magnus know he was really sorry about this whole mess.

That was why he was standing in that familiar building where he’d had a food war because he was that petty enough to indulge in that behavior. Alec was old enough to also admit that that that had been childish on his part.

With a deep sigh, he went in with determined steps. This was the perfect opportunity to have a great speech where he could convey how much of an asshole he was and there weren’t enough sorrys for what he did but if there was a minuscule chance to start again, he would take it.

Once he was in front of Magnus’ door, he sighed once again and knocked two times.

Nothing happened.

He cursed; Magnus probably wasn’t there and he didn’t know if he would be back later. Alec could wait for him, of course he would but what if he wasn’t going to come back for today? What if he went on a vacation to get away from this mess? It was a possibility he hadn’t thought about. Of course, he was only focused on himself instead of thinking about Magnus. He did it again–

The door opened, revealing a man completely different from Magnus.

“Ragnor Fell,” Alec said, a little starstruck, a little surprised.

Ragnor did a once over, his gaze landing on Alec’s. With a raised eyebrow, he said, “Alec Lightwood. I would say it’s a pleasure but I would be lying.”

Well, if that didn’t hurt a little, that would be a lie too.

“How does it feel?” Ragnor asked, his face devoid of any emotion.

Alec swallowed, feeling exposed, just like he did with Magnus. “What do you mean?”

“Ruining someone’s life with just a few words. You must tell me what you gain from doing so.”

He was so taken aback with that comment that he left his mouth hanging open, at a loss for words. Ragnor shook his head a little and turned around, going inside the apartment, leaving the door open.

“I’ll just let Magus deal with you,” was heard from inside the apartment.

Alec took that as an invitation to go in, at least nothing was thrown at him this time. For now.

“Who are you talking–“

The rest of that sentence was left unsaid the moment Magnus noticed that Alec was standing in the middle of the… Living room? Alec looked around him and it wasn’t the same living room from the last time. Last time, the place had looked immaculate, everything had looked like it was out of a magazine, the sofa and loveseat were amazing and the coffee table hd been spotless (before the war food). Now it was filled up with boxes upon boxes; the living room was nowhere near the place that had been before. There wasn’t even a sofa to sit on, the whole space was empty, except for the coffee table.

“What’s going on here?” Alec asked, still looking at his surroundings.

“I should ask that. What’s going on here? Who let you in?” Magnus demanded. He kept silent and then, “Ragnor, what the fuck?”

“Well, I thought you needed closure,” Ragnor replied, walking in the living room. “And you know how to deal with him.”

“Think again, my dear,” Magnus bit back, pouring all his sarcasm on his voice.

Alec switched his gaze between Ragnor and Magnus, at a loss for words. “What’s going on?” he repeated, louder this time. “Are you two– Is he your new boyfriend?”

There was a moment of silence until Magnus furrowed his brow and looked at his side, where Ragnor was standing. “You heard that, my love? We’re together.”

Ragnor looked at Magnus and snorted. “You wish, Magnus. You wish,” Ragnor replied with a mocking tone, turning around and disappearing again.

That feeling of regret came on full force when Alec caught that beautiful fond smile on Magnus’ lips while Ragnor was walking away, regret because he knew that he wouldn’t be the reason for making Magnus smile, since he was the idiot who screwed everything up.

Just as Magnus’ gaze landed on Alec, his smile was gone and his gaze hardened instantly.

“I don’t think you’re in a position to demand answers.” He put a little box on the cluttered coffee table and looked back up, “What are you doing here? Again.”

“I came to talk. We left some things unresolved the last time we talked.”

Magnus scoffed, not even trying to be subtle about it. “Unresolved? That’s a way to put it. I would say that I didn’t want to talk to you but because you are _you_ and it has to be the way you like it, you didn’t take no for an answer.”

“Well, if I were to leave things like that, I bet you would think I don’t care about you.”

“I don’t have to bet because I know you don’t give a shit about me,” Magnus replied, turning around and going to the kitchen.

And Alec stood there, perplexed, words hanging there because did Magnus believe that? He was the sole reason for Alec to stand there in the empty living room.

“I’m here for you–“

“No,” Magnus cut him off, turning around sharply and glaring at him, “you’re here because you feel _guilty_ , because you know you ruined my life and somewhere deep in that empty conscious of yours, something is nagging you. You won’t be happy until you give me a half-assed apology and you know what, _Alexander?”_

Magnus spat out his name like it meant all the disgusting things he could think of.

And Alec took it, he accepted it because Magnus was entitled to this and more.

“I don’t do anything with your apologies. While you still hold your precious job, I’m the one who got screwed up thanks to your crusade of revenge against me. I hope you are happy because you won.”

“I don’t work at the gossip column anymore,” he mumbled, loud enough for Magnus to hear at least.

Magnus stared at him, his gaze sharp on Alec.

“But you still have a job, I bet.”

Alec swallowed, knowing very well the conversation was getting worse and worse. He nodded, nonetheless, because Magnus deserved honesty.

Magnus scoffed. “Well, I’m glad for you, Alec. While you still enjoy the pleasures of still having a job, I’m unemployed. Thank you.”

“I didn’t mean this for this to happen.”

“Oh, so you didn’t plan getting me exposed?” he asked, with fake astonishment, his brows raised. He walked a few feet closer to Alec. “Because I’m sure that was your plan all along.”

“Listen, this– It got out of control and I’m so sorry for this.”

Magnus kept staring at him until something dawned on him, Alec could only guess that maybe for him this conversation was a waste of time but Alec needed to fix whatever was fixable. Alec didn’t move from his spot, waiting on Magnus for him to say something.

And that came when Magnus nodded and pursed his lips. “If you’re done, I need to keep doing what I was doing before you barreled into my home.”

“No, Magnus. Please, listen to me, I–“

“Stop.” Magnus raised a hand, completely cutting off Alec’s words. “I don’t want to hear your apologies, I don’t want to hear your reasons, I don’t want anything from you. I’m done hearing whatever bullshit you’re cooking up in that big head of yours. I’m fucking done.”

Somewhere in the middle of Magnus’ speech, he walked the few steps between them, leaving him standing in front of Alec. Due to the limited distance between them, Alec could see how Magnus was shaking, not from nervousness or from a cold but from pure anger towards Alec.

“I don’t want to hear anything coming from you. I just want to finish packing my stuff and get the hell out of here. Forget that I even met you.”

He flinched, not ready to hear those harsh words but maybe that was what he deserved. He had a job while Magnus didn’t, because he had singlehandedly made that happened with just a few words, just like Ragnor had implied.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled again, even though Magnus didn’t care about apologies at this time.

“Just leave, Alec. You shouldn’t have come in the first place.”

And that was it. Magnus turned around and walked over a pile of boxes, leaving Alec there for him to decide what he wanted to do. The logical thing that he could do was listen to Magnus and leave, stop wasting Magnus’ time and his own time because Magnus wouldn’t keep this conversation.

So he turned around and walked to the door, ready to move on. Let regret fill him up for a few days because he, once again, ruined a perfectly good relationship just for the sake of his job and in the process he made Magnus lose his job instead of treating him like the boyfriend he had wanted all along.

There, under the threshold, he stopped but didn’t turn around. “I know that you don’t care about me now and you just want to forget about me but,” he started saying and stopped. He knew that Magnus was listening because there was no movements at the other end. “I really liked you, Magnus, still do and I truly believe that if I hadn’t fucked it up like I did, maybe now I would be calling you to set up a date or maybe I would be calling you my boyfriend. I would like that.”

He waited, for Magnus to yell at him or push him out of the apartment, Alec didn’t know but he waited. When there wasn’t any of it, he continued. “But that won’t happen and I’m sorry that because of my obsession, you were the one who got screwed the most. I’m sorry. I won’t stop saying it and maybe it won’t change anything but I _need_ you to know that I am and I would give anything to turn back time when I didn’t know about your job.”

There, softly, he heard a “yeah, I wish that too.”

And what else could he say? What was done was done and the only thing Alec could do at this point was leave and let Magnus go.

So he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And at least, Saphael is happy again, so that's good.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am back! And for this occasion, I want to give you guys a double chapter update. So yeah, the last two chapters before the epilogue!! I AM A WRECK :) but there's a final chapter, so that's good.
> 
> As always, a big thank you to my beta, my sunshine because she knows this story would be a mess without her, ily 
> 
> E N J O Y!

Simon was on cloud 9.

That was the best way to explain how he was feeling. He’d spent weeks thinking that he’d lost Raphael, that his long-time-crush would be only that: a crush. All because Alec hadn’t been able to leave his relationship alone. Simon was well aware that what he had done wasn’t what one would call “conventional” but he was also aware that Alec had had his issues with Magnus, not with them, but they still had gotten in the middle of the crossfire and that was maybe the most frustrating part of this situation.

Well, it was well in the past and as much as it hurt that he was losing a friend because of this shitshow, Simon still hoped that Magnus had made the right decision and he wished all the best for him.

But for the time being, Simon was going to focus on Raphael: his main priority. Maybe start thinking about that fourth date; go to the movies. Teach his man that Star Wars was better than Star Trek, maybe enlighten him about the wonders of Lord of the Rings, there were a lot of possibilities but spending time with Raphael? That was the main goal here.

So, he would do that: spend time with his boyfriend. _Huh,_ maybe they needed to talk about the status of their relationship. Simon wanted to think that even after all of this mess, they could pass the state of _dating_ and be official, but the point was that he was there to eat some donuts and make heart eyes at his boss, not caring that it was during office hours and he wasn’t being subtle about it.

He looked at Karen’s desk, but she wasn’t there. He hoped Raphael hadn’t fired her after the last debacle in this office. But that wasn’t important for the moment; with a big smile and keeping an eye on the box in his hand, he opened the door with his other free hand.

“Your favorite accountant is here and I’m going to teach you–” he stopped mid-sentence when he realized that Raphael wasn’t there alone.

Raphael, who was already looking at him, asked with a raised eyebrow, “teach me?”

But Simon wasn’t looking at Raphael, but at the other guy who was sitting at the free chair on the other side of the desk.

“What are you doing here?”

The last person he wanted to see in this century was Alec Lightwood, the guy who almost completely ruined his relationship.

As incredibly and unlikely as it was (since he had met Jace many years ago), he had never met Alec in person, but he knew what the guy was doing for a living. Journalism was a good career, Simon wouldn’t say otherwise but he had never thought that Alec would do something like this. In his mind, Alec had always been a decent person who would try his best to find the truth in every situation, like every journalist should do, but that image was tainted and Simon doubted it would change in the future.

“Simon.” There was this tone in Raphael’s voice that just ordered him not to do something stupid. “Calm down.”

Bless Raphael’s heart because he knew Simon so well. He was furious. “Calm down? I should be flipping shit in here! How can you sit there and talk to this asshole?!”

On the other side of the office, Raphael dragged a hand across his face tiredly while Alec kept his gaze on Simon.

“I came here to come clean about what happened,” Alec replied calmly, like the whole ordeal didn’t affect him at all.

Meanwhile, Simon was trying to tame the urge to kill the guy. “I think we all know what happened. I don’t know what you think is going to happen, but I think you need to leave. There’s not enough sorrys to fix what you’ve done–”

“Simon,” Raphael warned him again, but Simon didn’t listen.

“–And you think sorrys are enough? You must be really dumb to do this, come here and everything–”

“Simon–”

“And who the fuck let you in? Lied to the receptionist saying that you were here for an interview?

“Simon!” Raphael yelled, standing up this time, completely cutting off Simon’s rant, “I think you need to leave.”

He stared, frowning, not quite believing what he was hearing. “ _What?_ Are you really siding with him?”

“I’m not siding with _anyone_ , don’t be ridiculous–”

“Oh, so now I’m ridiculous,” he cut the other off, sarcasm laced in his tone. Raphael sighed and there was a roll of eyes, but Simon wasn’t deterred by this. “I’m not the one who wants to talk with the guy who exposed your life!”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Raphael snapped back, steel eyes on him. “But unlike you, I want to leave all this behind and _act like an adult!”_

Simon pursed his lips, trying to tame the rage that was eating inside. Raphael had gotten screwed up in all of this and now he wanted to talk to the devil himself? Was he on drugs or something? Because there was no way in hell a sober Raphael was doing this.

Raphael pinned him with this look that was only reserved when people were saying something stupid. “I let him in and agreed to talk to him. Now, you can stay here and hear him out or wait outside but I won’t have a scene between you two.”

Simon would argue that he was being talked down like a child, but he wasn’t going to make a scene, so he side-eyed Alec who wasn’t looking at either of them, and then back to Raphael. “Fine. I’ll wait outside because I can’t stand being in the same room with assholes like him!”

There was another roll of eyes from Raphael, so Simon took that as his cue to leave. Shutting the door closed behind him, Simon sighed. He didn’t want to hear Alec’s excuses and he knew that Raphael was smart enough to know that whatever the guy was going to say was just bullshit and that was it.

He really hoped that at least the guilt was eating Alec inside. That would make Simon feel better.

Between all the hassle, he’d completely forgotten about the box of donuts in his hand; he looked at it ruefully and sighed again. So much for spending time with his boyfriend.

 

 

§§

 

Once Simon left the office, Raphael sighed, feeling stress wash over him.

He had been so sure that this career would be drama-free and now, well, it was a little too late to change his purpose in life.

The last person he’d thought would make a scandal was Simon and instead, he’d been the first one to surprise him. He sat down again and massaged his temple, recollecting his thoughts. His gaze wandered back to Lightwood.

So maybe it was stupid on his part to talk to the journalist but a part of him just wanted to make sense of this; he supposed there had been an ulterior motive to make his private life the gossip of the week, which was ridiculous because he had been so focused on his job, he hadn’t had time to make his life interesting enough to have a journalist on his back.

“I’m sorry for that. I should have locked the door before.”

Alec raised a hand, waving his concerns off. “Don’t apologize. I actually deserve his rage and that’s why I’m here.”

This time, Raphael raised an eyebrow. “And that would be?”

“I’m here to apologize and I know it’s useless at this point, but I also know that you deserve to hear it.”

Raphael nodded slowly. “Well, you got something right,” he conceded, leaning back against his chair, “it’s useless at this point and while I told Simon that I wasn’t siding with anyone, he’s right. What am I supposed to do with a late apology?”

“Nothing,” Alec replied, snorting softly, “and that’s the worst part. Even if I stay here saying it time and time again, it won’t change anything. It was wrong to use you for my personal purposes. The article is gone from our sources.”

“Yes, Magnus Bane already told me.”

That made Lightwood twitch on his seat and for a moment, he averted his gaze. _Weird._

“Do you– How do you know that name?”

“Well, Mr. Lightwood, that would be thanks to you,” Raphael replied, keeping his gaze on the journalist, who flinched back and kept his gaze low, “but also because I met him personally.”

Lightwood nodded but other than that, he didn’t look back up.

“Now, I know the reasons as to why he was in that article. I know about his job, so now you can tell me the rest of it. Why I was involved in your _personal purposes,_ as you say?”

Raphael kept staring at the journalist, waiting for him to start talking. After meeting the Lightwood seniors, he’d thought that Alec Lightwood would be the same straightforward guy with a no-nonsense attitude, a trait that seemed to run in the family but what he was looking at was a guy who was under way too much stress, if the purple color under his eyes was anything to go by.

After a moment of silence, Raphael sighed. “I think you owe me that, Mr. Lightwood.”

Lightwood nodded and looked back up. “You’re right. There’s this–” he cut himself off and sighed, “I was dating Magnus at that moment.”

Well, that was… That was unexpected, to say the least. Raphael nodded.

“And everything was fine until I found out about his job and how that screwed up a friend of mine. So, I took it upon myself to expose him. Somewhere along the way, I found out that Simon was kind of working with Magnus and I just… I lost it. I was so mad, I wrote that article.”

Raphael nodded again, taking everything in and trying not to snap at this guy for involving him in his romantic life. He didn’t need this kind of bullshit, what was his life lately? He really tried to keep his face emotionless because the alternative was killing this guy with his bare hands.  

“So, are you telling me that you exposed my life because you were feeling _vengeful?_ Is it really that?”

Lightwood flinched again and averted his gaze again. Raphael, instead, kept staring. This was some kind of shitshow. Like, he actually stopped dating this wonderful but also dorky guy that was Simon because of _this?_ He rolled his eyes internally; he was sure he was making Lightwood feel dumb about all of this.

“If you put it that way, it sounds stupid and childish but at the moment I thought I was doing the right thing. I didn’t mean to involve you like that, I was trying to hurt Magnus and I just saw Simon as a means for that but I never stopped to think that maybe you would get in the middle of it.” Lightwood sighed deeply, slumping his shoulders while doing so. “And for that I’m so sorry.”

Raphael nodded again just to do something. If Lightwood were anyone else, he would have let this go and not even bothered to apologize but instead Lightwood was there. If he was feeling guilty or because someone made him apologize, Raphael didn’t know but the fact was that he was there and Raphael appreciated it.

“I’m not going to lie to you, Mr. Lightwood,” Raphael started, leaning over the desk, “it is stupid and childish and the fact that Simon and I got caught in the middle of it, makes me think you weren’t thinking at all and you just cared about your own rage and job because I can clearly see this was for your job.” He stopped to look over at the journalist.

It was true, the photos, the article, it was because Lightwood had wanted to make an impression and clearly he had but just for a moment. It hadn’t gone as planned. Raphael sighed again for what he was about to say.

“However,” he said, making the other look up, “I understand _why_ you did this, to some point. Bane doesn’t have the conventional job and someone could think these kind of _services_ , if you will, were all for the money. If I were in your shoes, I may have done the same: expose him and see him fall. So, yes, I understand your point here too.”

Lightwood just stared at him, didn’t reply right away, with wide eyes. Raphael supposed that he was surprised that Raphael didn’t flip him off the moment he confessed and okay, yes, Raphael would have done that but like he said, he understood and it was a little too late to back out now on his words.

At last, Lightwood nodded. “Thank you. I– Thank you, really. I didn’t think you would listen to me after all of this but I’m glad. And Simon is probably right, I don’t deserve your forgiveness but I want you to know that I didn’t plan this outcome.”

In that moment, his phone office started ringing and when he looked down, there was the blipping red light telling him it was Karen. He picked up the phone and nodded once Karen was done talking.

“Yes, give me a second and then let him in.” He put the call on hold and looked up at Lightwood. “I think this conversation is over. I appreciate you coming over and I accept your apology. Rest assure that from my part this issue was over and done days ago. But again, thank you.”

Lightwood nodded again lowered his head while Raphael connected the call again and told Karen to let Simon in.

His door busted open again and this time, he rolled his eyes hard because fuck, the whole office, including the door, was expensive and the fact that his fucker of a boyfriend didn’t even look a little bit apologetic about it, annoyed him even more.

“Are you finished brainwashing my boyfriend?” Simon asked from the threshold.

Once again, Raphael tamed the urge to groan and roll his eyes at the same time. Simon didn’t have a filter, that was for sure but was stuck with the guy now. “Can you at least close the door?”

Simon looked up and then behind him, like he was realizing that everyone could hear everything they were saying and when that thought sank in, Simon finally closed the door. Today Raphael would have a seizure for how many times he had rolled his eyes. Faintly, he heard a snort and then a cough; he turned sharply to the source of the mocking sound.

Lightwood looked up and raised a hand, looking apologetic while mouthing a _sorry_. Raphael rolled his eyes again.

“Nobody is brainwashing me, Simon. Stop the drama,” Raphael said at last, dragging a hand over his face.

Simon stared at him with his mouth open, exaggerating the situation even more. “I’m entitled to make some drama here because of him– because of _you,”_ he repeated again, this time looking at the journalist, “I almost lost my relationship. Jace told me you were a workaholic but I didn’t imagine it would be like this.”

“Simon, I told him already.” Lightwood stood up, facing Simon. “I never meant for this to happen. It got out of control and I’m really sorry for all of this.”

Simon kept staring at Lightwood, then his gaze wandered to Raphael. “And you forgave him?”

Raphael shrugged, still seated. “I’m not going to spend my life being mad about this, Simon. It’s done, and people would entertain their life with someone else’s private life. I have a company to run, so I can’t stress over this.”

Simon puffed out his cheeks, like the adult he was, and looked back to Lightwood.

“Well, I guess he’s right,” Simon said, “but let me tell you something: maybe my relationship is going well, which I’m grateful for but you fucked Magnus over and for that I won’t forgive you.”

Lightwood visibly flinched and even took a step back, even when there were a few feet between them.

“When Magnus tells me that he is good, that he is over you, that he even _forgave_ you, I’ll do it but for now the only thing I can think about is that you are toxic. Because of you I’m losing a friend.”

“What… what are you talking about?” Lightwood stuttered.

Raphael stood up this time, getting curious about the course of this conversation.

Simon scoffed and glared him. “You don’t even know, do you? I see that you really cared about him,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Know what? He doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“And he has good reasons! He’s leaving, Alec. He’s flying to England and the worst part is that it’s because of you, because you ruined his life!”

“W–what?” Lightwood stuttered again, and from Raphael’s point of view, the guy looked wrecked all of the sudden.

“Yeah,” Simon replied, nodding, “thanks for that.”

For a moment, Lightwood lowered his head, not making any sound and Raphael was getting prepared for any outburst. He wasn’t sure what was going on inside Lightwood’s head but it wasn’t good if the guy wasn’t making any sound.

“Mr. Lightwood–”

“I have to go,” Lightwood cut him off.

He looked up looking directly at Simon and then, out of nowhere, the guy was running off, out of the office. Raphael stared at that spot where Lightwood had been standing seconds ago and then blinked.

“What happened?” he asked, slowly. His gaze wandered to Simon.

“Well,” Simon started, “I didn’t think it would hit him so hard but serves him right to feel hurt.”

“Simon, you can’t be this vengeful.”

“I’m not!” Simon replied, walking the few steps between them, “it’s just him.”

Raphael almost, _almost,_ rolled his eyes but for the sake of his eyes, he tamed that urge. Now, after all the hassle was done, he realized that Simon was carrying a box.

“What’s that?”

Simon frowned and then looked down, making a sound of surprise. “This was supposed to be my excuse for us to spend time together.”

“In the office?” Raphael asked, smiling.

Simon shrugged. “It’s better than waiting for my boyfriend to have time off in his busy schedule.”

Raphael would be a liar if he said that he hasn’t called Simon his boyfriend, at least in his own head. It was something they hadn’t had the chance to talk about, the big elephant in the room but this just proved that Simon felt the same way. It was also nice to hear him call Raphael that. It was cute.

But because he was _that_ person, he smirked and raised an eyebrow. “Boyfriend, huh? So, we’re a thing now?”

“I was going to talk to you about that, you know, clear the air,” Simon said, placing the box over the desk and looking a little sheepish, and shrugged “but I mean, what’s the point now?”

Yeah, what was the point when they’d been calling each other that and hadn’t even been aware of it?

“We are doing this the wrong way,” Raphael commented, crossing his arms but smiling anyway. Simon rounded the desk to stand next to him.

Simon shrugged again. “That’s why we are the best at this.”

Raphael snorted and shook his head. “You’re something else, Simon Lewis.”

Simon shrugged again and smiled, then he leaned a little and kissed Raphael hello. A chaste, short kiss that lit up his body like a Christmas tree. Raphael was in deep and he loved that.

 

 

§§

 

After Alec left Santiago Inc.’s building, he stood on the sidewalk panting, trying to calm his racing heart.

_“He’s flying to England and the worst part is that it’s because of you, because you ruined his life!”_

Simon’s voice rang inside his head, making him feel more dizzy, more sick. How had everything gotten out of hand like this? Magnus shouldn’t leave, it wasn’t supposed to go like this.

_This shouldn’t be happening at all!_

He pulled out his phone, calling Magnus and praying that he would pick up. He brought it to his ear and waited until the call connected.

“ _Hello?”_

“Magnus,” he said, sighing in relief.

There was silence for a moment, where Alec panicked thinking that Magnus had disconnected the call.

_“You really need to take a no for an answer.”_ Magnus sounded tired and dejected.

Alec shook his head a little, even though Magnus couldn’t see him.

“Is it true? You’re leaving to England?”

Another moment of silence and then there was a faint ‘ _yes._ ’

And it was like a wall of bricks fell down on Alec, he was suddenly out of breath and out of words.

_“I’m leaving in a week,”_ Magnus mumbled, _“you weren’t supposed to know but well, lately my plans don’t go as planned.”_

“No– No, Magnus. You _can’t._ This wasn’t… I’m so sorry, Magnus, but it’s over. Everyone is going to forget about that article and you can work again.” He was pleading, he knew he was, but Alec didn’t care.

_“Yeah,”_ Magnus conceded, _“but I won’t forget it. And that’s the saddest part.”_

They were in silence for a moment again, Alec finding it hard to speak. _This wasn’t supposed to go like this, this is wrong, he can’t leave. I’m sorry._ Thoughts like that going on loop while he couldn’t manage to say anything.

_“Goodbye, Alexander.”_

And Magnus disconnected the call, something that felt more like he’d disconnected Alec from his life.

It was then that Alec let the tears fall.


	20. Chapter 20

A week went by again.

Magnus had almost everything settled. His apartment was on sale and he would use that money to buy everything he needed once he landed in England. Ragnor already had everything settled for him there; he’d made all the arrangements so the new apartment would be spotless for Magnus. The keys had a new owner and while Magnus was terrified of leaving so suddenly and starting over again, he was also excited because it was a country completely new for him.

Once again, he would owe his life to Ragnor because he would have a roof over his head thanks to his dearest friend.

In two days, he would officially sell his apartment in New York and then he was off to England.

Again, terrified and excited.

As for other aspects of his life… Alec Lightwood.

Alec had called him several times after the last time they talked, left 40 voicemail and maybe a dozen text messages. It was too much and Magnus really couldn’t handle it. A bunch of relationships with a breakup included and none of them hit him so hard like this one.

And maybe none of them had worked so hard to humiliate him but again, he’d really hoped that Alec would be _the one._ That night they’d met at the bar, _God_ , he’d thought he was searching for his half and turned out Magnus was wrong.

Alec was a mess, he was a mess but nothing would change. Magnus was leaving and Alec would have to deal with his regret and guilt all alone. This time, Magnus would look out for himself and leave the love territory alone for now. His heart wasn’t strong enough to deal with more disappointments and fall out of love.

But what was done, was done. He’d already made a choice and he was leaving, no turning back now and who knew, maybe this would do him some good, breath a different air, meet new people and learn a new accent. _That could be fun_.

“Okay, so I think this should be the last box,” Ragnor announced, walking towards him and bringing him back from his musings.

Magnus smiled softly at his friend; Ragnor had always been his anchor, being there no matter what and supporting him even when he thought Magnus was doing something foolish (like he probably was thinking now) and Magnus would be forever grateful. Ragnor placed the box on the floor, right in front of Magnus.

“I think that you should throw away half of these things.” He crossed his arms and stared at Magnus with a raised eyebrow. “You do know that you can’t take all of this with you, right?”

Magnus furrowed his eyebrows at that. “Of course I know. Do you think I’m that stupid?– Don’t answer that,” he said immediately when he saw Ragnor open his mouth.

Ragnor chuckled instead. “I was going to say that you are going to pay overweight if you decide to take everything.”

“I know. They are going into a storage.”

“Why?”

Magnus shrugged, getting more comfortable on his loveseat. “Maybe I’ll come back. I mean, I’m not going to leave you all alone here.”

Ragnor rolled his eyes and shook his head. He took a seat across from Magnus, on the only sofa left in the almost empty living room. Ragnor didn’t say anything right away; like always, he took his time to sip from his tea (that abomination, that _smell_ , would haunt him even in his dreams). Ragnor closed his eyes and leaned against the sofa and Magnus kept staring.

_This_ , this was what he would most miss. Those peaceful moments like these, the banter with his most precious friend but there was their own kind of love underneath it all. Too bad those were over until further notice.

It only took two disastrous dates and an exposé to rethink his choices and leave everything behind again but he was hoping it wouldn’t take long for him to come back. He loved New York and leaving this loud, obnoxious city was like leaving the child he didn’t have.

“Are you going to miss me, Ragnor?”

Ragnor hummed but didn’t change his posture. “Everyday until you realize this was a spur of the moment decision and you come back.”

“You sound pretty sure I’ll be back,” Magnus stated with a raised eyebrow, even though Ragnor wasn’t looking at him.

Ragnor shrugged, getting even more comfortable, intertwining his fingers over his stomach. “I know you, Magnus. I give maybe 3 years to come back, maybe less. You have many reasons to do so, anyway.”

“Really? And would you like to enlighten me then?”

“Well, for instance, you’re not over the Lightwood boy and I thought this through. Maybe what you need is another environment, so you can see what I’m seeing.”

Magnus furrowed his brow again. He was aiming for a sweet and nostalgic conversation, not this deep analysis about his future. “I never said I was over him but I’m getting there, and you’ll be my first reason to come back, not him.”

Ragnor, in turn, raised a shoulder nonchalantly. “Maybe. He’s not your main reason but he is part of it. But–” he opened his eyes and looked directly at Magnus, with a faint smile, “–it’s going to happen, and I’ll be here waiting for that.”

_That doesn’t sound ominous at all._ He opened his mouth, ready to rebut Ragnor’s promise but in that moment, someone knocked on his door. Both of them looked at the door and then at each other. Ragnor, once again, shrugged since none of them were waiting for someone.

“I swear, if this is Alec, I’m going to yell until he gets the message and leaves me alone once and for all,” Magnus said, standing up and walking towards the door. Behind him, he heard Ragnor chuckling.

He opened the door and stared, letting his arm fall limply at his side. The person he expected the least was on his doorway.

“Luke Garroway?”

Luke smiled warmly and waved at him. “Magnus Bane.”

“In the flesh,” was his automatic response but he kept on staring with a furrowed brow. “Don’t get me wrong but– Okay, no. I’m entitled to this. What are you doing here?”

“Another undesirable visitor?” Ragnor asked from inside the apartment.

Magnus didn’t reply but kept staring. He knew he was being rude but again, he was entitled to this because– “I haven’t seen you in _ages._ I’m– this is shocking, I’m surprised.”

Luke chuckled. “May I come in?” He waved a little to the apartment.

“Of course,” Magnus replied, dumbly, still staring while moving aside to allow some space so Luke could walk through.

Once they were both inside and in the living room, it was Ragnor’s turn to stare. They were being very rude but again, _entitled._

Luke stood next to him while Ragnor looked at them with an imperceptibly raised eyebrow.

“Ragnor, my dearest, this is Luke Garroway, a longtime friend from college,” Magnus introduced him, then turned a little to do the same with Ragnor.

“Can I get you something? Tea, coffee… a dirty martini?” He raised both eyebrows.

“Magnus, it’s 9 in the morning, compose yourself,” Ragnor butted in with that disapproving look of his.

“It’s happy hour somewhere,” he replied, turning to look at Ragnor.

Next to him, Luke chuckled and shook his head. “I actually came to talk to you.”

Magnus turned with a furrowed brow; that was odd, the whole visit was odd since he hadn’t seen Luke since he’d gotten his job and Magnus had left the first time. They’d lost contact and it was only recently that Magnus had gotten a hold of Luke’s number but never in a million years had Magnus thought that Luke would show up at his doorstep.

“Alone, if it’s possible,” Luke added, side-eyeing Ragnor for a second.

“Well, that’s my cue to leave.” Ragnor stood up, leaving his cup of tea on the coffee table. He walked a few feet until he was standing before Magnus, “Should I wait for you tonight?” he asked.

Magnus nodded. He would spend the night in Ragnor’s apartment since he was lacking a bed and Ragnor, sweet old grumpy Ragnor, had offered his guest room.

Ragnor turned to Luke and nodded at him. “Pleasure meeting you.”

Luke said the same and then Ragnor was gone, smiling softly at Magnus on his way. Once Magnus heard the door shutting closed, he walked to the loveseat, knowing Luke was following him.

“So, how it’s been?” Magnus asked.

Luke shrugged, getting comfortable on the sofa. “It’s been good, can’t complaint. I have a job that I like, not as exciting as other jobs but I get by.”

Magnus couldn’t help but chuckle at the _not as exciting as other jobs_ and the accompanying side-glance. Luke clearly knew about Magnus’s “odd choices” since he started working at this when he was in college and Luke was one of those poor souls Magnus had helped. Clearly, Luke had gotten better because Magnus didn’t remember his friend having _that_ body. Objectively speaking, of course; his heart was already sold and gone for someone else, even though he hated that.

“Well, that’s good,” Magnus said, “nothing beats having a relaxing job.” He sighed, trying his best to keep up the chit chat but something told him that this wasn’t a casual visit and he told Luke as much.

“Yes, it’s true. I recently found out that you are leaving, and I haven’t had enough time to pay you a visit since I didn’t know where you live– or lived anyway.”

This time, he felt a little embarrassed. He’d known that Luke stayed there in New York, but he’d never thought about calling him until recently. “I guess I should have said something when I called you.”

“Well,” Luke started, “I expected more than just _come on, he is a journalist and it’s Friday night. You should know where he is,”_ Luke said, accompanying it with a judgmental look. “Mind telling me how you got my number?”

“A magician doesn’t tell their secrets,” Magnus replied with feigned innocence. The judgmental look turned to a glare and unimpressed stare, crumbling down Magnus’ façade. “I’m sorry, I was in a hurry that day.”

“I bet. That restaurant will never be the same.”

“Well, at least it has some fame now,” Magnus conceded, and the unimpressed stare came on full force. He rolled his eyes this time, “Come one, Luke. What do you want me to say? I was angry and– I don’t know, I wanted that night to end, no matter what.”

Luke pursed his lips but didn’t say anything and Magnus scoffed, not believing that Luke came just to judge his decisions. Yeah, okay, he was probably the worst friend, calling him just to get him the information he wanted and then forgetting about him again.

_That sounds like someone you know, huh?_ He couldn’t believe that he was acting like Alec. Now he could say that he was on rock bottom.

“I’m well aware that I shouldn’t have done that, but I don’t regret it and if you came here to show your support for Alec because you two work together then, there’s the door.” As much as he liked Luke, he wasn’t going to hear Luke reason’s where Magnus was wrong, and Alec was the victim here.

Luke shook his head. “I’m on your side, believe me.” He took a deep breath and continued, “I came here to know how you are doing, Magnus.” The judgmental look was gone, replaced by concern painted on his face. “I know you weren’t planning on getting on the front page of a newspaper.”

Magnus tilted his head a little, taking a moment to reply. “Lately, my plans had been kind of a disaster, if you will. These weeks have been… not my favorite.”

Luke nodded in understanding. “I’m– I can’t believe he did that to you. You should have seen him, Magnus, the day you pulled that “move,” asking him out through walkie talkies.” He stopped to chuckle a little and shake his head. “I thought that boy would end up alone for the rest of his life and working on that damn newspaper until it was shut down and then– then you came it was like Christmas, Magnus.”

Magnus swallowed, reminiscing on what he did that day. Not getting Alec’s number that night at the restaurant had probably been stupid from his part but he’d managed, and that walkie talkie idea was the smoothest move. Magnus was proud of that and he’d been on cloud 9 when Alec had agreed to go out with him; he’d been was so happy that meeting Charles Baker afterwards hadn’t dampened his mood.

A shame that just a few minutes with that pig had been his downfall.

“I’m so sorry it didn’t work out,” Luke lamented, hunching in his shoulders a little.

Magnus shrugged, not meeting Luke’s eyes for a second. “It’s not your fault. I guess I was careless with him. I thought I was doing the everything right, that he wouldn’t figure it out but–” he shrugged again,”–I guess I was wrong.”

“How are you, Magnus?” Luke asked again, his gaze placed firmly on Magnus.

Magnus swallowed again, meeting Luke’s gaze. “I’m… I’m a mess, Luke, if I’m being honest.” He stopped and scoffed, shaking his head. “Which is stupid because it was only two dates? Two messy ones, if I may add and– I don’t know, I shouldn’t be affected by this but here I am.” Alec was right: this wasn’t supposed to happen but it had happened and he blamed it all on the hazel-eyed man. “I could be better,” he added, “and this will pass; at the end, it will pass.”

Luke didn’t look convinced and Magnus had been telling himself that for the past couple of days because if he didn’t start believing that, then he would never get over Alec and that wasn’t an option. He _needed_ to get over Alec.

“And what about this?” Luke waved at their surroundings, the empty living room. “is it true that you are leaving?”

Magnus nodded. “I think I need someplace new, a new job and all that jazz.”

“But are you coming back?”

He opened his mouth, ready to say yes because that was what he’d told Ragnor but he stopped mid-way. As much as he loved Ragnor and he would never leave him alone for a long time, maybe staying in England for more than just a few months was what he needed.

“I hope that I’ll be back,” he assured Luke, “I don’t know when or how long it’s going to take but I’m sure I’ll be back.”

Luke still didn’t look convinced but didn’t press on the matter. “Well, I hope you’re making the right call. A shame I came way too late, right?”

Magnus stared, not quite getting what his friend said and when the message sank in, he chuckled. “That’s on me and I’m sorry.”

“No harm done. When are you leaving?”

“I’m selling the apartment, which is tomorrow. The day after, that I’m checking that everything is okay and ready, and then I’m leaving,” Magnus replied, swallowing that lump in his throat that came up so suddenly. He still couldn’t believe he was leaving and he was getting more emotional with each passing moment.

“Well, I’ll be sure to say goodbye at least,” Luke said, “I can’t let you go thinking that all of us journalist are hungry for some gossip.”

Knowing who that jab was meant for, made him want to laugh and cringe a little at the same time.

“I would _never_ think that of you!” he bit back, with feigned outrage. “How dare you!”

Luke rolled his eyes and from that point, they spent the day catching up in their lives, connecting once again, just like when they’d met in college, between laughter, jabs and jokes. Even when they were different in college, age wise, the friendship had been instantaneous. Ragnor was his dearest, longest and more cherished friend and Luke was his therapist, client and friend all throughout that tumultuous time that was college and after the Camille debacle.

Magnus would never trade them but he would have to leave them behind.

_Just for a while,_ he thought, _I’ll come back._

 

§§

 

Magnus looked at the gate that he was supposed to go in any minute now. He sighed and turned around to see the people who were there for him.

Ragnor. Simon. Luke. Even Raphael Santiago was there and while it was shocking, to say the least, Magnus was grateful. It meant that everything that had happened was over and done, and perhaps if Magnus hadn’t made this decision, he would’ve liked to be Raphael’s friend. If Ragnor had spent his time with him, then Raphael must be worth it.

“Last time, my friend,” Ragnor said, his voice wavering for a second, “are you sure about this?”

Magnus smiled, even as his lip started to tremble. He didn’t reply right away but took advantage to take Ragnor by his arm and hug him, tight enough so Ragnor could feel everything Magnus couldn’t say at the moment.

“I’m going to miss you, dearest,” he mumbled against his ear.

He didn’t want to cry but just by feeling how Ragnor was holding on for dear life, those tears were threatening to fall and his resolve was starting to crumble.

“I wish I could make you change your mind,” Ragnor said, breaking the hug but still holding him; there were tears on his face already and his chin was trembling but still he managed to smile, “but you’re so stubborn, it would be a waste of time to change you.”

Magnus smiled too, ignoring how his own tears were running down his cheeks. They smiled at each other while trying to tame their own tears but with no avail. Ragnor patted his cheek and took a step back.

The next one was Luke, his embrace as tight as Ragnor’s.

“We will meet again, Magnus,” Luke promised, once they broke the hug, “maybe not next year but it’ll happen.”

Magnus smiled, trying to clean his cheeks. “I’m pretty sure of that. I’m sorry I didn’t call you before–”

Luke raised his hand and shook his head. “No hard feelings.”

He nodded and let the subject go. It wasn’t the time to make apologies, anyway; he knew Luke wouldn’t hold on to that.

Then, Simon came with his face already a mess, bloodshot eyes and wet cheeks, almost falling onto Magnus when the hug came.

“I can’t believe you are leaving and– I treated you so bad last time and I’m sorry,” Simon said between hiccups.

“Oh, Simon,” Magnus lamented, running a hand over Simon’s back in a comforting way, “it doesn’t matter. Don’t worry about that.”

Simon shook his head, tightening the hug. “I’m sorry. I’m going to miss you. I hope you come back.”

Simon took a step back to join the others while cleaning the remnants of his tears. Magnus, at this point, he didn’t care; he let those tears run free. He was going to another place, to start all over again and he wouldn’t have his people to help him along the way. He wouldn’t have Ragnor to annoy the life out him and just for that, his heart was breaking.

Raphael Santiago then approached, stretching his hand towards Magnus.

“I wish I could have met you in a different situation, Mr. Bane,” Raphael said, while shaking Magnus’ hand.

“Call me Magnus,” Magnus countered back. “I think we are past last names at this point.”

Raphael didn’t reply but smiled back instead and walked back to stand next to Simon.

He wasn’t one to make grand speeches and wasn’t going to start in that moment but each and every one of them knew they had a space in his life, not from conventional ways– especially not Simon and Raphael, –but they were special either way and he was grateful for them.

Once last look at the little group surrounding him and he turned around, his tears running down again. He wouldn’t turn around because he was sure he would change his mind right away. Deep inside, he hoped that he would see Alec one last time, that he would barrel in there in the airport, tell Magnus how much he liked him and beg him not to go. They would kiss and that would be the end, just like the movies.

But this was the real life and Alec wouldn’t come.

So, he went inside the gate, embracing this new life he would start right now. His life had been good, really good but now it would be so much better.

He was ready for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. This is the last chapter :')
> 
> Next: the epilogue. Hope you guys will like the end I have for this


	21. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 3 years later...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really the end, huh? Can't believe it. FUCKING FINALLY!
> 
> First of all, I have to thank my beta. Amy, you've been nothing but an angel and I can't thank you enough for the time that you put in this story. The fact that that you saw potential in this story to keep working on it, is more than enough. Things hadn't been easy on both of our ends and yet, you kept going with me even though you could have ghosted me right in the middle. But here we are, right at the end. This story wouldn't be the same if it wasn't for you. So, thank you. I'm blessed for having you by my side ♡ WE DID IT BABY!
> 
> Second, to all my readers. Even if you didn't comment but you kept an eye on this, thank you. Even if you only bookmarked it so you could wait for the final chapter to read the whole thing at once, thank you. Hell, even if you're a ghost reader, thank you! Your view still count. But the big special thank you goes to those readers that commented throughout the story, that were excited for this final chapter. THANK YOU! You guys are the best and I hope I can still have your support for my oncoming WIPs and other stories.
> 
> Without further ado, here's the last chapter of "Can you find me someone toy love?"
> 
> E N J O Y!

_3 years later._

 

Magnus Bane’s life was good, really good. He lived in a comfortable apartment in London, with a job that gave him the opportunity to live well, not to have every luxury, but it was a job that paid well. Really, he couldn’t complain; yes, he was still single, but it wasn’t like he was looking. He was good, he was happy.

His new job, as a makeup artist, had the potential to be very lucrative if he wanted it to be. A part of him hoped that he would be back to New York one day and maybe that was why he wasn’t putting enough effort to build a luxurious life around it. Still, he was comfortable and, like he had told himself thousand times, there was no turning back

Anyway, it was a good life. He was successful, all thing considered. In the three years that he had been living in London, he had hired an assistant because he had built an extensive clientele and he had realized he couldn’t handle that amount of people; not even his last job could compare to this. So, an assistant it was.

Among his clients, there was a bride who had recently requested his services for her, her bridesmaids and, if there was time, for a few members of her family. Magnus wasn’t so sure about the time but a client was a client and he would be crazy if he dared to pass up this opportunity. The wedding would be in Liverpool; the travel was already taken care of from the bride, so he didn’t have to worry about that.

Currently, he was getting ready for his trip. The wedding would last the weekend since the family rented the banquet hall for the whole stay. Magnus would be staying the whole weekend too since his client told him that she needed him to stay because she would change her outfit throughout the weekend.

Personally, he didn’t understand _why_ so much hassle. He had never heard of a wedding lasting for three days straight but he was getting paid and as shallow as that sounded, he needed to pay his bills (and he had already seen the photos of the hotel. He was _in_ for that) and this could boost up his career, so he would take it.

Suddenly, his laptop starting _ringing_ , meaning that someone was calling through Skype and when he went to check on the name, he was surprised and shocked. He accepted the call.

The pixelated image took form and there it was, his favorite client. Magnus smiled.

“ _Oh my god! Magnus, hi!”_ Simon said enthusiastically, smiling big and bright at him and waving at Magnus, “ _Look at you! I’m so happy to see you!”_

Magnus waved back and held back the tears that were threatening to fall. See, when he’d started living here, Ragnor had forgotten to mention that the apartment didn’t have internet access. Those days were horrible. Actually, the first few months were hell; they tell you that driving is easy but nothing prepares you for when you have to face a car with the wheel on the “wrong” side of the car and since he spent so much time in New York, he hadn’t needed one.

Turned out he needed one in this city.

So, when he had worked everything out with the car and all the paperwork that came with it, then it had been the hassle to look for a job. While that wasn’t as traumatic as the car was, it still took some time. By the time he had managed to fix the internet problem, he had already a busy schedule, there wasn’t so much time to talk to Ragnor when they both were in sync.

Magnus had of course talked to Simon but only for a few hours and there were months that they just couldn’t get a few hours to talk because, once again, they were both busy.

Simon was lucky he got Magnus right on time.

“Simon! How are you? Look at you! You’re wearing a suit. What happened to your Spider-man t-shirt?” he asked, mockingly, still smiling.

Simon rolled his eyes. “ _I always wear a suit and–_ ” he moved forward like he was going to tell him a secret, _“–I found out that Raphael loves it when I wear one, so that’s a plus.”_

“It’s not that the company makes you wear a suit because that’s a requirement but because it gets your boss all flustered. _Gotcha,”_ Magnus countered back with a smirk, getting a roll of eyes, making him laugh. “All jokes aside, I’m glad you’re calling me.”

“ _Yeah, well…”_ and suddenly, fidgeting Simon was back on full force, _“there’s so much to tell you. Okay, let me start with the most important thing: Raphael asked me to live with him, which I tried to play it cool but I was freaking out and– Can you believe it? I cannot and he made it seem like it was the most common thing to do and how can you fight your boyfriend who also your boss?– Okay, that sounded so wrong but he is. My boyfriend is my boss. So, okay– Anyway, I said yes and three years later, here we are in his amazing and big penthouse. It’s really incredible. Now, I’m planning on the next big move and Magnus,_ ” he stopped to look at Magnus straight in the eye, catching Magnus off guard, “ _as my former coach and current friend, I would really like for you to come back, to be here for me.”_

“Oh, Simon. I don’t know, I have so many things to do and I don’t know if I can get a plane ticket.”

Simon shook his head, clearly not taking no for an answer. “ _This is non-negotiable,_ ” he retorted; Magnus raised an eyebrow but Simon didn’t seem put off by it. _“I want you here, Magnus. You were the one who helped me gain courage and if I’m going to take this big step in my life, I want to have the guy who helped all along in this.”_

Magnus stared, dumbfounded because of what his former client was telling him. It was a little too late to try and deny that Simon had been his client, so yes, all that Simon was saying was true but he also had to admit that it wasn’t just _him,_ Magnus, but Simon too. That atrocious dance that he’d pulled at Ragnor’s gallery? That had all been Simon and while Magnus had spent the whole day before that telling Simon to not dance, he’d done it anyway. Magnus had a hand in all of this but Raphael had fallen in love with the clumsy guy that Magnus had met in in Central Park. It was all Simon and Magnus couldn’t take credit for it.

“You sound like I did everything, and we both know that you didn’t follow my rules exactly as I wanted,” Magnus accused with a raised eyebrow, making Simon deflate a little but then he sighed, “and at the end, that was the best thing that you’ve done because you are with Raphael. Living together. That was the main thing in this plan of ours. I’m very happy for you, Simon, because you really made it this far.”

“ _And that’s all thanks to you_ ,” Simon added, with a furrowed brow. _“Why are we saying the same thing again? Listen, I’m in this because of you, thanks to you and it won’t matter how many times you say that this was all me, I’m giving you the credit. You gave me courage, you helped me out and that’s it. Take the appreciation here, would you?”_

Magnus opened his mouth, ready to counter Simon back–

“ _Say yes, Magnus. I mean it. You helped me out and that’s the end of the story,”_ Simon said right away, cutting off whatever Magnus was planning on saying.

This time, it was Magnus’ turn to deflate and nod; he would take the thank-you’s and just deal with it. Simon was happy and that was what counted.

_“This is a big thing for me, Magnus. Really important, and I just can’t deal with the idea that you’re not going to be here… I know– Ragnor told me you have a busy schedule, which I’m glad about, I’m really glad you that you have a job that you really love and that doesn’t have to be kept hidden from anyone–_ ” he stopped to look behind him and then, turned back around, _“–but having you here will give me courage. I know what happened before is enough reason to not come back but… Would you do this for me?”_

Magnus kept staring at those big puppy dog eyes, not quite believing that he was getting convinced by the second but there he was. While those eyes were very convincing, Magnus actually missed his people too; he liked London but it wasn’t the same and three years was enough to leave the bad blood behind. It wasn’t like anyone would remember, anyway. He had left the country, started a new job and made a new life. The issue had been over months after he had left.

During the times that he hadn’t had internet connection, he had sat down and really thought about everything that had gone down, especially between him and Alec. Things had been… bad, that was true but Magnus could have handled it better, a different approach sort of thing and while he hadn’t admitted it back then, he could admit it now: Ragnor was right and he just couldn’t take a leave whenever something went wrong. It was a thought that had been nagging him ever since.

So, maybe he should just say yes and come watch Simon take the next step in his life and also really solve things with Alec.

“Okay, well. Yes, fine You’re right. It was team work,” Magnus conceded, smiling a bit, making Simon nod and smile with him, “and I will go to support you. Count me in.”

“Yes!” Simon raised his arms in victory, “I’m so excited. Thank you, Magnus.”

Magnus smiled at him again. They kept on talking, catching up on things that Magnus had missed all this time, laughing and yelling a little, and if they cried at some point, they were the only ones to witness it.

He was well aware that there was a possibility that he was going to face Alec back in New York and he was ready for it, well, _almost_ ready for it. They had unfinished business and Magnus knew he needed to at least close that chapter of his life. Stop running away and all that.

He was really excited to come back but also terrified for what could happen once he was back in New York.

But for now, he would worry about his current client and then buy a ticket to his beloved city and hope for the best.

 

 

§§

 

 

Magnus sighed deeply, looking at his surroundings, the bustling of people going back and forth, always in a hurry, like every New Yorker. The airport was a smaller description of this chaotic city.

And Magnus loved every little bit of it.

_I’m home._

That was when he felt another body crashing against him, holding him tight; the familiar chamomile smell that was invading his noise and already giving him nightmares could only mean one thing: Ragnor.

He didn’t wait any longer to hug back his dear friend; he had missed this like air. England was fine but nothing compared to this city and having his best friend back.

They broke up the hug to look at each other; it was safe to say that the tears were running down but this time it was from happiness.

“Magnus, my dear,” Ragnor started, smiling, placing a hand on Magnus’ neck, “I have missed you.”

Magnus smiled back, placing his own hand on Ragnor’s cheek, sighing in comfort. “You were right, my dear. I’m back.”

Wiping off his tears, Ragnor recovered a little and took hold of Magnus suitcase, ignoring how Magnus started complaining that he shouldn’t. Honestly, it wasn’t necessary but it seemed Ragnor wasn’t taking no for an answer.

“A trip from London to New York is long,” Ragnor claimed while walking towards the exit, leaving Magnus to follow, “so I’m going to take your bag and take you home.”

And Magnus–

He just smiled, feeling touched and heart warmed by what Ragnor was doing. He really had the best friend he could ask for. Ragnor had been with him throughout everything and at this point, Magnus didn’t know how to pay him back for everything. _Pay me with tea bags_ Ragnor would say but that didn’t seem like enough. But that would have to do it.

Magnus was excited. He had two reasons for coming back: the first one was next to him, carrying his bag and the second was Simon with his “next step in life.” Suffice to say that Magnus had a slight idea of what this meant. He hoped that it didn’t involve dancing; he would take the next flight to London otherwise.

However, he was happy. Simon and Raphael had made it. They were happy– articles, fights, drama and lies notwithstanding. Magnus still felt like part of all the drama and lies were his fault, even when Simon had reassured him time and time again that that was over, that both Simon and Raphael had forgiven him and they actually wanted to see him again.

He sighed on his way out of the airport.

Magnus was ready.

 

 

§§

 

 

Simon was nervous, that much he could say. Actually, no, he was on the verge of crying. If what he was planning ended up being a flop, he would get wasted while crying and listening to every sad song known in the entire world just so he could feel the rejection deeply.

Simon would propose to Raphael and he was hoping the man of his life would say yes.

A few days back, he went to a jewelry store (an expensive one because his man didn’t make millions everyday just so he could get a ring pop; not on his watch) with Ragnor, because, as the best friend, he knew Raphael’s likes.

Turned out, Ragnor even knew Raphael’s size, which was good because all of that was in over his head. Ragnor had only given him tips and whatnot because in the end, it depended on Simon to choose the perfect one for Raphael; Ragnor actually could do it but Simon wanted to have the privilege to do it.

At the end, he chose a beautiful angled cut step edge carved ring, that had diagonal cuts all around it, with the center being stone finished and bright cuts, and because he was looking for the best, the ring was made with solid 14K gold, all yellow. According to the salesman, the ring was high polished on each side.

It looked like he knew what he was talking about but it was a façade. Simon didn’t even know what “angled cut step edge carved ring” meant but Ragnor said that Raphael liked when his partners knew about rings. He was 80% sure that was a lie, however he was proposing, and he needed it to be perfect, so he wasn’t going to risk it; Simon ended up memorizing the description and trusted the salesman he chose the right one

And Ragnor gave his approval when Simon showed it to him, so that was a plus.

Half a year ago and after the debacle with the article had disappeared, Maia had decided that she wanted to buy a bar, to have her own business. So, after the back and forth with the paperwork, and both Maia and Jace giving out their savings to buy the place, Maia had finally been able to call herself a business woman. Then, it was all the hassle to buy the furniture, the drinks, hire the staff and more paperwork.

Both Simon and Raphael had volunteered to loan money or even pay for the furniture; Maia was against the idea at the beginning but she had realized that she wouldn’t make it if she wanted to open the bar soon, so she had accepted at the end saying that she would pay them as soon as she had the money. Raphael had agreed but because that was the only condition so Maia could accept the money; Raphael wouldn’t take his money back. His man just wanted to help and Simon was deeply, madly in love with him.

So, the grand opening was today and he had already talked to both Jace and Maia to use this day for what he wanted to do; they agreed enthusiastically, they were even more excited and Simon was even more terrified.

A few days ago, Magnus had called him saying that he was back in New York and couldn’t wait to see them. Simon would deny it later but right at that moment he had cried a little. The people he cared about would be there for him today and well, he was emotional on top of his fear.

They were currently at the bar. Maia called it “Howl at the Moon,” which was a pretty awesome name; he really liked it. So they were there to make sure everything was fine and that it would run smoothly. Simon prayed that no one would end up drunk up their ass and make a fuss and ruin everything.

“So, are you ready?” Jace asked, approaching him at the bar.

He of course knew what Simon was thinking to do.

Simon nodded. “Yes. I mean, as ready as I can be.” He sighed. “I just hope this goes well.”

“You two have been together for 3 years,” Maia announced, approaching them too and standing next to Jace, “there’s no way he’s going to say no.”

Proposing never felt so hard to do.

He gulped. “This is just another level. That’s like getting stuck with me for real. No refunds.”

Jace and Maia turned to look at each other for a moment, that moment of understanding between them where they most likely got the conclusion that Simon was losing it.

“You’re too much,” Maia said, chuckling, “you need to calm down.”

“Listen to the bright girl here. She’s right. Calm down,” Jace assured him.

But really, Simon wasn’t feeling it. He needed the night to end right at that moment but also he needed the night to not come. But also he wanted to see Raphael, like they didn’t live together but the point was the same.

“Everything is ready?” Maia asked, looking at Jace.

Jace nodded. “Your palace is ready, my lady.”

Simon snorted while Maia threw a skeptical look at the dumb blonde with a raised eyebrow.

“Charm won’t get you nothing,” she said, smiling nonetheless.

“Ah, but you know I’ll keep trying anyway,” Jace replied, smirking.

Maia shook her head but laughed anyway and kissed him. Jace leaned all the way and Maia met him in the middle.

The sight was just so cute and it was what Magnus had taught Jace to do, just like he’d taught Simon; that made him more emotional. He hoped he could see him tonight because he couldn’t go to the airport; there was an important meeting both Simon and Raphael had to attend and it lasted almost the whole day.

Jace looked down at his wrist. “It’s almost time to open. Are you ready?” He turned to look at Simon.

Simon gulped, just so he could really calm himself down because instead he would be a mess.

This time, he nodded, feeling a little more sure

_This is it._

 

§§

 

 

Magnus finally made it to Maia’s bar. Howl at the Moon. It was an interesting name, he liked it. According to Ragnor, who had been getting his info through Simon, this was Maia’s new property. She had been wanting to own something and this was her new baby.

Magnus was proud, to say the least.

When he got in, the place was crowded, meaning Maia would have a successful business and honestly, she deserved that.

“Magnus!”

He turned, just have another body barreling into him. When Magnus pulled away, a smile almost broke his face in two.

“Simon!” he wasn’t going to cry, no he wouldn’t.

“I’m so happy you’re here.” Simon’s smile dimmed a little. “I’m sorry I couldn’t see you at the airport. It was a hectic day and I couldn’t leave the office; there was this important meeting and I couldn’t escape, neither could Raphael and–”

Magnus waved a hand, cutting Simon off. “The only thing that matters is that I’m here now for you, can’t wait to hear what you are planning,” he said with a knowing look.

And there, low and behold, Simon actually blushed. It was endearing.

“But you’re right. You’re here now and I’m shitting myself, and I need you to say something to calm me down because I’m this close to running away.”

Simon looked desperate and who was Magnus to deny that wish from his former client?

“Right. Just remember, Simon. Be confident in whatever you do. That’s the key and you already made it this far, that means you will make it after this.” He paused for a second. “But personally, I really think he’s going to say yes.”

“You think?”

“I _know,”_ Magnus replied.

Simon nodded enthusiastically. “You’re right, always right. So,” he turned around for a moment and looked at the direction where the stage was and turned back, “I have to go back. Raphael is coming at any second and I want to be ready.”

“Of course. Go, go, don’t make me stop you.”

Simon nodded again and made to walk but stopped and turned back. “Magnus, thank you so much again,” he said again and this time, he left.

Magnus smiled, feeling proud for his former client. Simon had made it so far with or without him, and that was the main thing here. Simon was happy with Raphael and that was what mattered at the end.

He sighed, looking at the stage where Simon, Maia and Jace were prepping everything and everyone was getting the idea of what was going on, so they started walking towards it. Magnus stood there watching; his watching point was a good one anyway.

“So, you made it back.”

Magnus startled a little and when he turned, that was when he saw the one who surprised him the most.

“Raphael Santiago,” Magnus said, his eyes wide open.

“Magnus Bane,” the businessman said back, with a little smirk. “I’m glad you’re back. Simon cried for a week when you left.”

He snorted. “I believe that.”

“How is London? I heard it’s gloomy,” Raphael commented, crossing his arms.

“That’s why Ragnor is from there.”

And this would be the day when Magnus would say that he managed to make Raphael Santiago laugh out loud.

“You’re completely right,” he said, with laughter in his voice, “he’s gloomy.”

After a moment of silence where they watched the stage getting ready, Magnus turned his body completely towards Raphael.

“You know…” he started and trailed off, “I’m still sorry.”

Raphael shook his head and waved off with his hand. “That’s in the past, Mr.– Magnus. We’re good.”

Magnus wouldn’t admit it out loud but being addressed by his name by Raphael Santiago, business mogul, well, it felt good. Really good. It meant that maybe this would be the start of a friendship.

“We’re over that. The article completely disappeared, the board is not on my back anymore and we had a successful merge with the Lightwoods in Seattle. It’s safe to say that the company is in the best position as of right now.” He stopped for a minute and then turned to look at Magnus straight in the eye. “As for my personal life, I have to thank you.”

Magnus raised both of his eyebrows, surprised. “Me? But I was part of the problem.”

“Yes,” Raphael acquiesced, “but you gave him the confidence to keep dating me, to not back out. We both know that it was thanks to you.”

“I’m not sure–”

“I insist,” Raphael interrupted. “Thank you.”

Magnus opened his mouth again to fight back but realized that it would be a lost fight, just like it had been with Simon on their Skype call, so he did the most logical thing: he accepted the recognition and nodded.

Suddenly, the mic on the stage started making that annoying sound that drilled into their skulls and then stopped. They both turned to see Simon standing there looking nervous but still determined. _Confident._

Magnus smirked. _I taught him well._

“Do you have any idea why we are here?” Raphael whispered next to him.

“No, now shhh. I think Simon is going to say something.”

He felt Raphael glaring at him but before he could say something, Simon started asking for silence and the bar was suddenly dimmed and no sound could be heard.

Simon cleared his throat and brought the mic to his mouth.

“Thank you to all of you who made it, who are here to celebrate that Maia finally has her own business,” Simon announced and there was a round of applause for the new business woman.

“We are very happy for you Maia,” he continued once the applause had died down, “and we will all be here to see it succeed.”

There was an intake of breath and a few seconds of silence. Magnus was getting nervous too and Raphael next to him was getting anxious too.

“Before I continue, I have to say that I asked permission to make this announcement. I don’t want anyone thinking that I’m stealing the spotlight.”

They all laughed, Magnus included but he was more preoccupied with the man next to him. This was the first time that he would see one of the relationships he had spent time working on taken to the next level.

“Okay, so… I know that you know who I am, thanks to that article, so you all know that I’m dating Raphael Santiago.”

And then the spotlight was on Raphael and most of the guests’ gazes were on him. Magnus smiled a little. This was going well.

Simon smiled. “Hello, Raphael,” he said, when their gazes connected, “glad you could make it… So, we’ve been dating for these three years and I have to say, these years have been wonderful, amazing even. I honestly can think of anyone else to date with. Living with someone else? Not a chance. You’re my one and only option.”

There were some cooing and one or two whistles while Magnus kept looking at Raphael who kept his gaze fixed on Simon.

“What I’m trying to say is… I love you, Raphael, more than I can put into words. You make me immensely happy; getting to know you was a gift on itself and I would really like to spend more time getting to know you more.”

Magnus heard the breath intake coming from Raphael, the little gasp and the _oh god_ under his breath. Meaning that Raphael was already getting the idea but he would still get surprised.

Simon smiled brightly again and took a moment of silence to gather his thoughts.

“Would you do me the honor of marrying me?”

All the guests turned around to look at Raphael with expectant looks while Magnus was getting more and more anxious, just like Simon the more that Raphael kept on silent.

Suddenly, Raphael turned to him with that anxious look, and Magnus smiled at him softly.

“Remember, you have a good thing going on, don’t throw it away,” Magnus assured him, nodding at the businessman.

Raphael nodded and turned his head back. Magnus waited, just like everyone in the room.

And then, just like that, Raphael nodded while Simon asked again. Raphael nodded again, this time more enthusiastically.

The bar erupted in applause and in the middle of it, Simon stepped down the stage and almost ran towards Raphael and Raphael met him in the middle to connect their lips, and in the background the applauses kept on.

Magnus clapped too, smiling big and bright, even whistling at them. He was happy, really happy. Looking at them smiling at each other while Simon put his ring on Raphael’s finger, was even Magnus’ goal.

Being back in New York was the best decision he had ever made. Seeing Simon being happy with his long-time crush and now fiancé was proof of that.

“I’m glad you’re back.”

A voice said next to him and when he turned–

_Alexander._

Alec turned his head to him and smiled, even when the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“I’m– Yes, I’m back. I’m surprised you’re here.”

Alec shrugged. “Simon wanted me here, surprising enough. Well, not that surprising. Jace and Simon are best friends, and it was time for me start meeting him for real. Turned out he is a really nice guy.”

“I knew that,” Magnus replied, raising a shoulder nonchalantly.

There was really nothing nonchalant about him in that moment. The anxiousness came full force.

“Can I– Can we talk?” Alec asked after a moment of silence.

Even though he was nervous and he didn’t know what he could say, Magnus nodded anyway. Alec nodded back and walked towards the back exit of the bar, Magnus following suit.

Outside of the bar, Alec paced a little until he turned back to gaze directly at Magnus.

“I’m sorry–“

“No, don’t worry–”

“No, Magnus,” Alec said with more urgency, “let me say it because I– Ever since you left, I’ve been thinking that I screwed up badly with you. I know I said as much before you left but you were angry and I was a mess and I don’t think I did a good job of saying what I really wanted to say.”

Magnus opened his mouth reply back, to interrupt him because the apology wasn’t really necessary. Just like Raphael had said: it was all in the past.

“Alec, really–”

Alec raised his hand, cutting Magnus off completely. “Let me, please.”

Magnus nodded, letting him talk. He crossed his arms and tried to keep his gaze on Alec.

“I’m really sorry for what happened but before the whole article happened, I was so glad I met someone like you. Someone funny, interesting, witty and very creative. That “move” you pulled with me, the walkie talkie thing, I was so surprised but charmed at the same time and I couldn’t really wait until we could have that first date.”

“That ended in a disaster.”

Alec snorted but nodded anyway. “That ended in a disaster,” he agreed, “but that was the charm of it.”

Magnus smiled, feeling his anxiousness dim a little.

“I really liked dating you, the article notwithstanding. But I need you to know I’m really sorry and I felt horrible when you left.”

“Well,” Magnus started, walking towards Alec with his arms crossed, “If we are being honest here, I could have handled things a little better or could have try to fix what we had at the beginning– No, don’t shake your head at me. I could have but I didn’t. I left and maybe that was an abrupt decision. The thing is… Well, I liked dating you too. I need you to know that too. Took me a while to admit it but I made a mistake too.”

Suddenly, they were in that trance again, just like all those years ago, when Magnus had been falling in love with this man, getting lost in those hazel eyes of his. Magnus had still remembered those while living in London, thinking in the what ifs and what would have had happened if he had stayed in New York. Maybe by now they would have been thinking about getting married too, who knows.

“What if… What if we start again?’

Magnus raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Alec outstretched his hand to Magnus.

“Hi, I’m Alec Lightwood. I’m a journalist, I work at the NY Post at the business column. Nice to meet you.”

Magnus stared at the hand, a little perplexed, lost for words but the surprise died down and he shook Alec’s hand.

“Nice to meet you, Alec. I’m Magnus Bane, I’m a make-up artist and I’ve been living in London these past three years.”

They broke down their handshake and stared into each other’s eyes, smiling a little.

Alec smiled down at him; this time it really reached his eyes, making them a little brighter. “Is this your first time here or do you come here often?”

Magnus snorted but smiled even more. “As often as I can.”

Alec mirrored his own smile and they were in that trance again.

Maybe it was Magnus who should thank Simon for bringing him back to New York. Starting again was the best choice for them.

Magnus now could say that he had found someone to love and that it would last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, all of you!
> 
> See you in my next story :)

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me your thoughts, my fellas.  
> As I update, I will put the other relationships.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Can you help me in love?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12585692) by [HolyMad](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HolyMad/pseuds/HolyMad)




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